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Prime Video’sCruel Intentions(2024) is yet another modern retelling of the French novelLes Liaisons dangereusesby Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. Frankly, if we’re being serious, it’s really a remake of the Roger Kumble film of the same name, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe,Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair, which came out a quarter of a century ago.
Now, we live in a world of TikTok and Instagram, where people can be cruel at the tap of a screen. This is a story whereCruel Intentionshits its authentic target audience in the age of social media. The result is an adaptation made for the streaming era—additive, highly bingeable, and with a wicked sense of itself.
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Prime Video’sCruel IntentionsReview and Synopsis
The story remains the same, following two step-siblings living a life of white privilege in Washington, D.C., as they climb the social ladder. Caroline (The White Lotus’sSarah Catherine Hook) is a power player focused on keeping her sorority affluent on campus because it symbolizes status.
Her stepbrother, Lucien (Boy Swallows Universe’sZac Burgess), shares the same aspirations but is her subordinate in almost every way. However, after a hazing incident involving a taser at a Greek function goes horribly wrong, Caroline devises a plan to prevent her downfall.
The plan? Convince the Vice President’s daughter (Murder at the Murder Mystery Party’sSavannah Lee Smith) to join their circle, instantly granting them credibility and attention. After all, the only thing more important than money is power.
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Cruel Intentionsis a Worthy Adaptation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’s French Novel
The television adaptation ofCruel Intentionshas had a long road to finding its way to Prime Video. Originally a property of Fox the same year as the film, the script has hopped around Hollywood for over two decades. NBC hadGellarset to return in 2015 before passing on the project. Amazon then slated it for the now-defunct Freevee before it ultimately found its current home.
It’s hard not to wonder why it took so long—mainly due to the number of retreads and homages to the original that have surfaced this century. Most of those adaptations had very little substance to justify their characters’ menacing actions.
However, from showrunners Phoebe Fisher (Assassination Nation) and Sara Goodman (I Know What You Did Last Summer), this series brilliantly weaves in insightful moments of wickedness that subvert current socially conscious movements.
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IsCruel IntentionsWorth Watching?
Cruel Intentionsis worth watching. For one, the streaming television format gives the writers more time to explore the themes and characters that have become cult classics and influential over the years. Yes, you’re able to roll your eyes over plenty of plot points. The whole idea of social functioning based on fraternities seems out of place in today’s society.
At times, it would have felt relevant if the showrunners incorporated how these characters would adjust as outcasts in a more accepting and socially conscious generation than ever. However, that’s making a new series, which is not something we are here to do. Still, some clever and bold choices are taken here, despite the soapy delivery.
ThisCruel Intentionsis seductive and daring but never crosses the line of feeling exploitative or gratuitous—keeping the sharpness and dark wit of the original.
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You can stream Cruel Intentions exclusively on Prime Video November 21st.
M.N. Miller
Film & Television Critic
Articles Published :336
M.N. Miller is a film and television critic and a proud member of the Las Vegas Film Critic Society, Critics Choice Association, and a 🍅 Rotten Tomatoes/Tomato meter approved. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Mansfield University and a Master’s from Chamberlain University. However, he still puts on his pants one leg at a time, and that’s when he usually stumbles over. When not writing about film or television, he patiently waits for the next Pearl Jam album and chooses to pass the time by scratching his wife’s back on Sunday afternoons while she watches endless reruns of California Dreams. M.N. Miller was proclaimed the smartest reviewer alive by actor Jason Isaacs but chose to ignore his obvious sarcasm. You can also find his work on Hidden Remote, InSession Film, Ready Steady Cut, Geek Vibes Nation, and Nerd Alert.
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AmazonAmazon Prime VideoCruel IntentionsPrime VideoReese WitherspoonRyan PhilippeSarah Michelle Gellar
