The latest offering from Disney has drawn comparison to 'Joker'. But trust us when we say that, aside from both being villain origin stories, the two share nothing in common.
Even if it's not as dark and gritty as the Joaquin Phoenix starrer, there's plenty to enjoy in 'Cruella'.
The hair, costumes, make-up and production design look fantastic.
The film effectively captures the 1970s punk rock era of London. You could just eat the scenery right up.
The soundtrack is great, plus the lead performances of Emma Stone as Cruella and Emma Thompson as the Baroness are fabulous.
If you enjoyed the movie, which is available on Disney+ Premiere Access now, and coming to cinemas when they reopen on June 7th, here are some movies that would make great viewing companions.
Easy A
If you enjoyed seeing Emma Stone go bad, then 'Easy A' is definitely one to watch. The teen flick marked the actress's first major leading role and she is brilliant as good-girl-gone-bad (though not really - much like in 'Cruella', actually) Olive. A high school student allows rumour after rumour to initially better her social and financial status. Then everything starts to go horribly wrong.
The Devil Wears Prada
Obviously 'Cruella' was already giving us pretty strong 'The Devil Wears Prada' vibes from the trailer. Having seen the movie, comparing the features is definitely warranted, not only because both depict the fashion industry, but also because Thompson's performance is very Miranda Priestly. At one point, her Baroness character even says: "You can't care about anyone else. Everyone else is an obstacle. If you care what an obstacle wants or feels, you're dead. If I'd cared about anyone or thing, I might have died." And that's veeery 'The Devil Wears Prada.'
101 Dalmatians
Obviously, we had to mention the very movie that introduced Cruella De Vil to the world - '101 Dalmatians'. As any Disney fan knows, the studio produced both the 1961 animated feature and the 1996 live-action remake (the first of that wholly unnecessary trend...). You can watch both on Disney+ now but we picked the latter here as Glenn Close is just fantastic in the role.
Maleficent
'Cruella' wasn't the first live-action Disney villain origins story - that honour goes to 'Maleficent', based on the 'Sleeping Beauty' antagonist. Both features also share in common that, in very Disney style, it shows why the titular characters went bad, and puts forward the case that maybe they weren't so bad after all. There's also a very 'Frozen' idea inherent to 'Maleficent' which is worth watching out for...
I, Tonya
Of all director Craig Gillespie's works, his movies 'I, Tonya' and 'Cruella' probably bear the most similarities as both follow talented women who are forced on the edge. The Oscar-winning movie (Alison Janney took home the Best Supporting Actress gong) follows the true story of ice skater Tonya Harding, played by Margot Robbie. It's sharp, funny and just the right amount of zany to make it stand out from the rest.