102 Dalmatiens

Well, Disney has done it again. 102 Dalmatians is even better than the first. Once again, Glenn Close stars as the crazy, out of the box villain of villains, Cruella DeVil. She is totally awesome,and totally believeable as she makes her transition from almost sickly sweet to gleefully evil.

Alice Evans does a fantastic job as Cruella's stern, yet humorous probation officer who is less-than-thrilled about her new client. And Ioan Gruffudd is perfect as the slightly naive dog-lover who is torn between wanting to believe that Cruella has turned a new leaf, and being head-over-heels in love with her probation officer. Tim McInnerny makes a re-apperance as Cruella's flustered, frightened butler, but this time he gets to have a shining moment as he fights a bad guy, and helps to save the day.

The only person I had a problem with was Gereld Depardieu... don't get me wrong, he's a great actor, but honestly, I think this role was beneath him. LePelt is stupid and snibbering, practically in love with Cruella and his jokes (i.e. the tiger head on his pants in one scene) fall hopelessly flat. I think Mr. Depardieu should have demanded some intelligence put in this role... I can look past LePelt because Cruella and the others are so great, and the story line is charming, and the animals are once more, terrific. The addition of the talking Macaw really gave the movie an unexpected comic twist. I give it six stars.

I knew "102 Dalmatians" would become one of my favorite films as soon as it started because it was filled with dogs and was clear plot was very important to those involved. My love for dogs attracted me and my instincts were not as I wasn't disappointed in the result of this movie.

"102 Dalmatians" was simply one of the smartest and funniest films I have seen. One thing that I found interesting was the director's drive and motivation to complete the project without quiting.

Glenn Close has done another incredible job portraying Cruella De Ville. Her performance was so incredible that she made me angry everytime she did something evil to one of the dalmatians; when this happens, you know you have a good actress on your hands.

Kudos to newcomers Ioan Grufford and Alice Evans as they pull off performances, which make them look like veterans. There performances were so great I could mistake them for naturals. These two have a lot to offer and are here to stay.

I'm so glad I saw this film because it allowed me to forget the outside world and let me relax with my popcorn and soda pop. "102 Dalmatians" is such a delightfully light-hearted comedy that will warm your hearts and spur you into action at the same time.

My take: Not as good as the first, but decent family fun nonetheless.

Yes we know, it's kid's stuff compared to the original, which is an enjoyable film, no less. This one follows where the original left off. Cruella "Ella" DeVille is kept in prison, and a group of scientist have altered her mind, turning her from evil to a good. Sadly, when the Big Ben rings its chimes, compassionate little Ella turns back to evil Cruella, with plots to capture more puppies for her "Poppy Coat" and for vengeance.

Of course, this one adds one more puppy to the 101 others. Sadly only one of the puppies from the first makes it here (of course, he's full-grown now), it's none other than Dipstick. Besides the dog, Cruella and her stuttering butler Alonzo (Tim McInnerny), no other character from the first film returns for this sequel. The plot, if you removed some elements, is basically similar to the first film. Making this a formulaic sequel, but let's not get to harsh in reviewing this. You got to admit it still has some entertainment value, despite the flaws. The puppies are cute, as always, and some of the laughs are well enjoyable for the kiddies.

So overall, not a brilliant flick, but a fun one for the family.

Rating: *** out of 5.

I decided that this was going to be the first movie that I took my young daughter to see. Seeing as how she is a dog lover and is riveted to the TV screen every time she sees a commercial or TV show with a puppy, I figured how could I go wrong?

I was sadly disappointed. I found that the movie tried too hard to be dark and sinister....Cruella got way too much screen time and the puppies, too little. The movie just wasn't much fun. Amazingly, my daughter got an hour or so of entertainment from this film, and then got horribly bored. We ended up leaving before the movie was finished, so I'm not even sure how it ended.

The movie was cute, but it ran way too long for the younger set who have a reduced attention span. More time should have been devoted to the puppies and their antics, and less to Cruella and her scheming. I don't believe I was the only one who felt this way....as my daughter and I were leaving the theatre, I noticed two youngsters fast asleep. Not a good testimonial for a children's film.

Save this one for a video rental so your kids can fast forward through the boring bits before they, too, fall fast asleep.

Unlike its predecessor, which was a live action version of the animated 101 Dalmatians, this version is completely new and original. However, the premise is as old as they get: boy finds girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl again, and they all live happily ever after. Of course, I'm not giving anything away here because the movie is not about the humans; it's about the dogs and one bird. And you can't leave out the bird. The bird is the real star of the movie. His name is Waddlesworth, and he is a MacCaw that does more than just talk -- he converses. The voice is that of Eric Idle (of Monty Python fame). Waddlesworth thinks he's a dog and cannot fly and is the comic relief for the movie, adding asides for our enjoyment.

This film is better than 101 Dalmatians, which in its own right was very good, and both children and adults will enjoy it. It is pure entertainment. My teenager and six-year-old both liked it and said Waddlesworth was their favorite character. This is typical Disney entertainment: Wholesome with just enough adult humor for mom and dad, excitement for the teenagers, and tenderness for the younger ones. Besides, who doesn't like a little puppy? This movie has 102 of them!