tune in for Emma Stone and Emma Thompson’s majestic baddie-off, switch off for the ponderous origin-splaining in this Disney prequel; Like Cruella's occasionally piebald hair, it's very much a movie of two halves: fun to look at, if a little fleeting
this film is so sexy and cool and punk rock; Emma Stone makes villainy fun and sexy; Enjoy “Cruella” as a decadent and exhilarating standalone, daaaarling
there's an unexpectedly huge amount of old-fashioned fun to be had in Disney's spectacular new origin-myth story; Stone and Thompson. Together, they are the highly strung dysfunctional double-act that post-lockdown cinema didn't know it needed
one of the studio's best live-action adaptations yet; director Craig Gillespie and screenwriters Dana Fox and Tony McNamara have given the iconic villain a sensational makeover as well as heart and a reason for why she turned so wicked
it's a far more exciting film, if only because its messiness and silliness and soap-opera twists and sartorial turns are all in service to the only way to feasibly make Cruella palatable to kiddos: it's really quite fun
Emma Stone is wickedly wonderful in Disney’s stylish prequel; "Cruella" feels like a wildly imaginative superhero movie, but with fashion instead of superpowers
Emma Stone is a perfect centrepiece for "Cruella"; Stone's performance is commanding enough not to be swallowed up by the wigs and costumes, while she sprinkles in a little wounded pride to lend a sense of genuine pathos to Cruella's madness
Craig Gillespie's latest comedy-drama, spins the yarn of an origin story like no other; Brazenly bold and expertly woven, "Cruella" excels on multiple fronts - prime being its dark humor and aesthetics, and a deliciously sublime Emma Stone
Craig Gillespie helms a stunning showcase of talent that culminates in a striking feature, but it's narratively hollow; Disney villains tend to make for excellent gateways into darker genre material, but Cruella ultimately makes its villainess toothless
bursting with copious, unnecessary needle drops, chic Alexander McQueen-inspired costumes, and one-liners that cut with the accuracy of well-sharpened shears—Craig Gillespie’s “Cruella” is a dull overwrought origin story without an audience
a wickedly stylish spectacle with a dark-sparkling turn from Emma Stone; this is a complex and surprisingly deep-reaching back story of a cartoon villain, rich with psychological truths and powerful symbolism
a movie as shiny and hectic as Cruella: a heady exercise in style and scenery-chewing whose high-gloss chaos seems designed less for cohesive storytelling or world-building than for looking super-cool in previews
a fierce and fiesty central performance from Emma Stone is matched by a creatively cruel turn from Emma Thompson. The real star here is the production design and the costumes. A great fun film, with a wicked look
by Ben Travis [Empire Magazine ]
by Johnny Oleksinski [New York Post ]
by Randy Myers [San Jose Mercury News ]
by Meagan Navarro [Bloody Disgusting ]
by Ann Hornaday [Washington Post ]
