REVIEW: ‘Cruel Intentions’ Is A Dollar Store Imitation of a Classic

I would wager to say that most millennials remember the first time they saw Cruel Intentions. A 1999-defining film, the story has been remade for a new generation. And all I can say is that maybe not having a local Blockbuster for Gen Z to go to is how we’ve failed pop culture.

Created by Sarah Goodman and Phoebe Fisher, Cruel Intentions (2024) follows the elite students of Manchester College, a Washington, D.C.-adjacent university, where reputation means everything. Their parents’ politics ripple through their choice as fraternities and sororities set the gold standard for college experiences.

Modeled after the two ruthless step-siblings, this version of Caroline Merteuil (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lucien Belmont (Zac Burgess) feels more like an ant bite than a wasp sting. That said, Caroline and Lucien will do anything to stay on top of the social hierarchy—lie, steal, manipulate, and break every personal boundary to get ahead. After a brutal hazing incident threatens the entire Greek Life system, the two do what’s necessary to preserve their power and reputation, which puts the US Vice President’s daughter, Annie Grover (Savannah Lee Smith), in their crosshairs.

An honorable attempt or a toothless reimaging?

This Prime Video Original lacks the bite of the film it’s based on and the camp that made the Cruel Intentions sequel an amazingly bad movie. Instead, the series tries its best to touch on current cultural talking points but comes off as preachy in the best moments and ridiculing cultural specificity and respect at its worst. This television series pushes no boundaries, not with its takes on sex or in its humor.

Each episode, on the surface, seems to dive into greater sin. That said, the bland take on the Greek system and its increasingly bland tension keep this limited series from becoming anything other than mindless melodrama. The series echoes young adults behaving badly with no real understanding of what made the 1999 take on Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ 1782 novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses special.

I wish I could say that this is a series that understands each of the characters’ flaws and how to exploit them for something interesting. Instead, each scenario puts the blandest of Greek life into a different package instead of focusing on making a great mini-series.

Cruel Intentions (2024) is a dollar-store imitation of the eroticism and shock that the original 1999 film shook pop culture with. To this day, that film stands as a hallmark for millennials, and this Prime Video attempt to capture that magic absolutely falters. Top to bottom, this series is a failure and would have been better suited to becoming its own IP than trying to harvest relevance from a cultural touchstone.

Does anything redeem Cruel Intentions (2024)?

Sara Silva‘s neurotic approach to Cece Carroway is one of two saving graces for this mini-series. This Cece is funny, anxious, and extremely relatable. Even her puppy dog persona toward Caroline can be frustrating at times. Perhaps the series’ approach to being a gay man in a frat is John Kim’s performance as Blaise Powell, who gets the closest to sincerity. But beyond those two, the actors in this series are more aligned with the ages they’re supposed to play.

But where the rest of the cast of characters is concerned, it’s a resounding “meh” for the performances. Savannah Lee Smith as Annie Grover, Khobe Clarke as Scott Russell, Sean Patrick Thomas as Professor Hank Chadwick, and Brooke Lena Johnson as Beatrice Worth are all serviceable enough in their roles. Still, the siblings should be the leading force of the series. Instead, Sarah Catherine Hook’s Caroline and Zac Burgess’ Lucien are too timid and mild to even sit at the same table as their Ryan Phillippe and Sarah Michelle Gellar-Prince counterparts.

The entire series feels like kids cosplaying adults trying to shock a viewer. And none of it is endearing. There is no charisma, no fashion touchstones, and absolutely nothing memorable. This is a property that should have stayed in 1999. Cruel Intentions (2024) is not good, and I see no real possibility of season two taking it beyond a limited series.

Cruel Intentions (2024) is streaming now on Prime Video – and the original is on Freevee.