I did it! 

For the first time since March 2020 – nearly 15 months – I went inside a movie theater, and actually watched a movie!

What had once been a weekly occurrence (sometimes even more frequent), was stopped cold turkey with the onset of the pandemic last year. And while walking into a theater used to seem like an intrinsic part of me, this past week it all felt decidedly foreign – a concept which took a few minutes to get used to all over again.

But soon, that theater started feeling like home. Except for the moment someone’s annoying and obnoxiously loud ringtone went off for an exceedingly long time.

In any event, movies are back, and some of the ones that were scheduled to be released last year are finally hitting the big screen. And thankfully, many of those are well worth the wait!

“Cruella” (Rated T)

Cast: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, Mark Strong

Genre: Crime/Comedy

Where to watch: In theaters/ Disney+ Premier Access

Dwight’s Rating:

Origin story prequels are proving to be great ways to reboot and revitalize an old movie franchise, and this is one relatively recent Hollywood trend we can all get behind.

Just how did our hero become such an amazing crime fighter or super sleuth? What caused that despicable villain to turn into such a lowlife scum bucket?

The controversial but entertaining “Joker” from 2019 can be considered one of the better examples, and maybe even a blueprint, especially after earning Joaquin Phoenix a Best Actor Oscar.

Disney is betting that you want to learn how one of their memorable villains became so unpleasant.

Cruella de Vil from “One Hundred and One Dalmatians” has been an antagonist people have loved to hate since that hit animated classic was released in 1961 – rescuing Disney’s animation division from the brink, after a long lack of hits and a major flop.

And so, after a number of animated sequels and a live-action remake, we now have a live-action prequel, focusing on the life of “Cruella”.

In the film, Estella (Emma Stone) is a young and clever grifter who’s determined to make a name for herself in the fashion world. She soon meets a pair of thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they build a life for themselves on the streets of London. However, when Estella befriends fashion legend Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson), she embraces her wicked side to become the raucous and revenge-bent Cruella.

While the previews and trailers look intriguing, the film is an even greater surprise: a stylish, fun and funny exercise, with nary a dull moment. And you don’t have to know anything about any previous movie in this franchise, nor the book on which the original movie is based.

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