I’ll be honest, this one wasn’t for me in the slightest. I can see how others might absorb it, but for me, it was loud and tawdry “cute Guardians of the Galaxy”-ified Disney sugarcoated reimagining villain to hero that didn’t work in the slightest. The soundtrack is concussive and pulsating, leaving no room to breath, while every character, plot point, and dialogue beat is ludicrous. None of it even attempts to function in an organized reality, relying more on “enjoying the ride” with its cute dogs, bold fashion, and pounding rock soundtrack. But, that bus passed me by, only leaving me splashed in the muck of this cinematic misfit.
If I had to carve out a few positives from it I would say this: the clothes stylings were flashy and extravagant, Emma Thompson is over the top in the right way allowing for some subtle touches, and at least it does swing for the fences pushing it to be over the top at all times. It isn’t the worst film, stylishly put together with a hint of flair everywhere. Its simply that the attempts don’t coalesce to anything I want nor anything that worked.
For a kid’s film, it is a dark and sadistic mélange. Self delusion, matriarchal murder, child abandonment, a lifetime of glorified thievery, subterfuge, revenge, kidnapping, implied dog killing and skinning, attempted child murder and emboldened sociopathy. They attempt to make this entrenched villain of yore relatable and sympathetic, but with her embracement of her innate anti-social tendencies, there is little beyond bald revenge to get on board with. And however unsavory the entire labor is, the curious and sorted methods to accomplish every scene make no sense. Its a far-fetched loony lark that I simply found lacking at every turn.
Emma Stone’s portrayal wasn’t poor, just odd, and despite some costuming class, this whole kid’s film farce was a ramshackle mess. Not for me.