Cruella Review: 5 Ups & 5 Downs

1. Mark Strong Is Totally Wasted

Mark Strong improves pretty much any movie he's in, so it was encouraging to see him show up in Cruella as Baroness von Hellman's valet and henchman, known simply as John.

Sadly Strong gets shockingly little to do throughout the film, relegated to an extended cameo for the movie's first half before getting a fraction more screen time in the second.

Despite the potential-rich nature of Strong playing a stoic, dignified lackey, the script largely just tasks him with dumping exposition in the audience's lap.

Though Emma Stone and Emma Thompson get substantial parts befitting their talents, Strong feels stranded with a mostly-nothing role here. At least he hopefully got paid handsomely for the part.

Cruella is a deeply sloppy prequel, then, but it's also far from being a bad film. Here's what it gets right...