Disclaimer: There may be spoilers below, so if any of the content pictured below is of interest, proceed with caution.
Cruella is great. Watch it. @jericho there's my official review.
When we last left off, Lupin was barely a tale about a thief who pulled heists. After the second season, he still isn't one. Instead, it's basically a cat-and-mouse game with the bad guy(s) in an attempt to get his kidnapped son back, then expose the bad guy for doing bad things. The last episode is supposed to be the climax where all is revealed and it falls way short. Not a single part of that episode had originality; instead it was pieces cobbled together from other movies along with several missed opportunities to end it better. The upside is that this season does put a nice bow around the story arc giving a fairly clean ending despite a credits teaser saying it would return. I hope in part 3 we get to finally see him do something remotely interesting as far as being a thief.
Points to this movie for some originality and a neat premise. The time is now(ish) and a new designer drug has the ability to make you experience wild things. Instead of police, the movie is seen and experienced through the eyes of two paramedics which is a great change and appropriate. Anthony Mackie stars as one of the paramedics and does a good job in this movie, unlike some others around this time and since (he appears to star in 38% of all movies lately). A ways into the movie we learn that this drug, Synchronic, isn't just warping perception in your mind. Instead, it allows you to briefly travel back in time. The catch? For a very short period of time, and how far back you go depends on where you are when you take the drug. It's a good watch.
Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, and Mira Sorvino headline the performances which include impressive supporting roles by Laura Gómez, Ismael Cruz Cordova and more in a (not Disney+) story, which is the directorial debut of Gee Malik Linton who also penned the screenplay. Both critics and audiences were not enthusiastic about Exposed. (*cough* Rotten Tomatoes *cough*). (Again, soooo many content warnings). Controversial editing (butchering). This studio foul-up deserves a second look.
