MALEFICENT IS NOT THE MISTRESS OF ALL EVIL WE REMEMBER

You would think a film about the"Mistress of all evil" would at least be dark and gothic. Alas, that isn't the case for Disney's newest film Maleficent (which is guaranteed to be a blockbuster). The plot as such is this: After cursing Aurora, Maleficent decides to keep an eye on the child and as Aurora grows they both begin to bond. With a new (and unexplained) attachment to the child, Maleficent begins to question her curse and seeks a way to undo the damage she has done before it is too late.

The marketing itself sells this film as a darker version of the tale. It would seem the film is being more marketed towards the Hot Topic crowd, but in reality it's more of a kids' film than anything else (imagine my surprise). Unfortunately, there is very little darkness here, instead we get lots of sunshine, colors, and wonder. Maleficent is nowhere near as dark as the original Walt Disney version was (interesting, if you think about. These days studios are too afraid to make a dark kids film, yet Uncle Walt inserted a good deal of darkness into his films like Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Pinocchio, Bambi, Dumbo, Fantasia, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, and Alice In Wonderland.)

What about the "Mistress of all evil" herself? How does she fare in this film? Well, if you are looking for the classic Maleficent from the original animated film, you've come to the wrong place. We do get a tiny touch of that character here but for the most part the Maleficent in this film is a completely different character.  I don't know how much I want to give away in this review, suffice it to say that for the most part Maleficent is a good fairy who loses her way and is corrupted by anger and a need for vengeance when a great cruelty is done to her (Yes, Maleficent does get her own backstory here that takes up the first 20 or so minutes of the film). Angeline Jolie portrays Maleficent and does a pretty good job considering what the script gives her to work with (more on that script later). She always has that same air about her that the original Maleficent did. Jolie definitely looks the role, and she always is most impressive whenever she dons those iconic black robes from the original film.

Remember that black crow that was always at Maleficent's side in the classic tale? Well, he is back here with a beefed up role. His name is Diaval, and he is a loyal but sometimes questioning servant to Maleficent. Maleficent can change his form at will, and he is often seen as a human that she has discussions and arguments with. Diavel is portrayed by Sam Riley, who was probably my favorite part of the film. He is in the film a good deal, but isn't given all that much to do (except act as the more or less moral compass of the film) and yet he still manages to impress.

 Sharlto Copley plays King Stefan, who was in love with Maleficent when they were both younger. However, his greed leads him to betray her trust and in return Maleficent places her curse. It isn't long before the king is driven mad by paranoia and a lust for revenge. Copley does a fine job in his early scenes, but quickly is tossed to the back burner and is given almost nothing to work with for most of the film.

What about all those other classic characters? Well, they are pretty much the same as we remember them. Elle Fanning plays Aurora and is pretty good even though she apparently only has three emotions: Joy, wonder, and hesitance. She's essentially the same Aurora we know from the original film. The three fairies are here as well: There's Juno Temple as Thistletwit (the green one), Imelda Staunton (aka Dolores Umbridge) as Knotgrass (the red one), and Leslie Manville as Flittle (the blue one). They are still bumbling idiots like they were in the original, but aren't quite as annoying thanks to a decreased amount of screen time. Prince Philip also plays a minor role here, and he is portrayed by Brenton Thwaites who is given even less to do than any other character in this film (He's pretty much there just to look pretty).

The film is directed by first timer Robert Stromberg, who is known for his visual effects work on films like Pan's Labyrinth (matte Painting supervisor), and Pirates of The Caribbean: At World's End (visual effects design). He was also the production designer on Avatar, Alice In Wonderland, and Oz The Great and Powerful. While his directing skills are nothing special, it should surprise no one when I say that the visual effects and environments in this film are quite good. The film manages to keep familiar elements from the original such as the forest of thorns, Maleficent's decrepit castle, the burning of the spinning wheels,the score mimics the original's in one scene, and a dragon makes an appearance near the end. Yes, there are many nods to the original, and surprisingly the best parts of this film are two scenes which are lifted whole sale from the original classic: The curse scene, and the scene where Aurora is lead through the castle by a glowing green orb.

Unfortunately, all the good will I had started to build up for this film was erased during the last 20 minutes. For most of Maleficent, the story follows the same path that Sleeping Beauty did except we are seeing things from the perspective of Maleficent....and then the last 20 minutes take an abrupt detour into new territory with what is supposed to be a sweet twist (It's really just dumb and insulting) and a new ending that just didn't gel with me, plus some developments that just felt silly.

In the end, I can't say Maleficent is a bad film....it's actually pretty ok all things considered. The actors seem to be doing their best with what the somewhat flimsy script gives them to work with (which is written be veteran Disney scribe Linda Woolverton who also penned The Lion King, Beauty and The Beast, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, and Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland), the environments and visual effects are beautiful, and Jolie does look great as Maleficent. I just wish the film hadn't chosen to turn Maleficent into the hero of the story. Seeing that this film is clearly aimed towards kids, I can't say I'm surprised they went this route, but I really wish they hadn't. Although I do have my fair share of problems with this version of the tale (I really wanted more darkness, but since it's a kids' film there is almost none), I'm still going to say I liked it....somewhat. I'd gladly recommend it to kids and families with kids (the audience I was with was a camp of 60 kids who were quiet for the whole film and even clapped appreciatively at the end), I'm sure they will eat it up and ask for seconds. As for adults, you'd probably do best to look elsewhere.

2.5 STARS

MY TOP 10 FAVORITE FILMS LIST

At 23 years of age, I am proud to finally announce my Top 10 Favorite Films of All Time! A long battle was waged inside my mind, and you can be sure I thought long and hard over this list. I'm not saying any one film is BETTER than any other, but I AM saying that these are what I consider to be my personal favorites. So sit back, and enjoy the fruits of 23 long years of labor.

1. Jurassic Park

2. Jaws

3. Back To The Future Part 2

4. Terminator 2: Judgement Day

5. Transformers

6. E.T.

7. Cabin In The Woods

8.  The Wolf of Wall Street

9.  The Raid: Redemption

10. Blues Brothers

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 WEAVES A TANGLED WEB

In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) finds himself being torn in many different directions. He is still torn about what he should do with the love of his life, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). In the previous film he made a promise on her father's death bed that he would keep Gwen out of his life, for her own safety and while he still has strong feelings for her he doesn't like how breaking his promise makes him feel.

Harry Osborne (Dane DeHaan), an old childhood friend of Peter's and the heir to the Oscorp throne re-enters Peter's life. He suffers from the same disease his dead father had, and it is slowly killing him just like it did to dear old dad. Harry believes Spidey's blood could provide the cure he needs, but Peter isn't too sure, afraid of what it could do to his friend.

Along with all this, a new villain emerges in the guise of Electro (Jaime Foxx). Formerly, dweeb-ish Oscorp employee Max Dillon, Electro is tired of being ignored and decides to force NYC and the world to finally notice him. 

Andrew Garfield is back as Parker/Spider-Man, and looks significantly older. It's pretty hard to buy Garfield as a graduating high school student (maybe if you squint hard enough?), but he is still the best Peter Parker/Spider-Man we have had on the big screen, perfectly embodying both roles here (plus he doesn't take the mask off during fights in this one). Emma Stone is still a nice Gwen Stacy, and her romance and chemistry with Garfield (her real life boyfriend) is both palpable and real. Dane DeHaan is fantastic as Harry Osborne/Green Goblin (his laugh for the Goblin character is absolute perfection). Harry gets a LOT of screen time, while Goblin doesn't get much  (only one or two scenes) but his big fight with Spidey and Gwen is probably the best thing about this film. Paul Giamatti also does a very brief stint as Aleksei Sytsevich aka Rhino. He's only in two scenes here, and has just the right amount of screen time.

Unfortunately, Spidey 2 suffers from exactly what you would expect it to: There are too many story lines to follow. The main ones (despite what the marketing would have you believe), are really about Peter's and Harry's friendship, and Peter's and Gwen's relationship (both share about equal importance). Jaime Foxx is good as Electro, but he doesn't really stand out like I thought he would, plus he's more so on the back burner for most of the film (he's only got two fight scenes with Spidey, both of which are fantastic, and the rest of his screen time is him being tortured and making threats.). Contrary to popular belief, he's not the main baddie here. Instead, it's actually Harry who is the big villain. It's Harry who is the one pulling the strings, and planning the plans. In fact, Spidey 2 can almost double as an origin story for The Goblin.

While the focus is once again squarely on Peter Parker for most of this film, we still get more of Spidey than we did in the first film. I am happy to say we finally get the quick-quipped, fun, and fast Spidey that we all love from the comics. The fights he stars in and the scenes where he's swinging through the streets of NYC are easily the best parts of this film (especially in 3-D, where we get plenty of screen penetrating moments, an impressive deal of depth, and some scenes that once again make you feel like you are Spider-Man. That said, when the fights aren't around the 3-D is almost nonexistent.). 

While The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is indeed a mess, it's still more faithful to the comics than previous Spidey films, the acting is top notch, the 3-D is more than impressive during scenes with Spidey, and Garfield as Spidey/Parker is quickly becoming an icon (at least, in my eyes). The attempt to add some emotion in the end doesn't really work, but that final fight between Goblin and Spidey is still perfect in all the right ways. I'd say that Amazing Spider-Man 2 is indeed a bit better than the first Amazing Spider-Man (this sequel isn't dark, moody, or brooding, but is instead appropriately comic book-y) . Amazing Spider-Man 2 may weave a tangled web, but the end product is still satisfying, enjoyable, and fun. 

4 STARS

UPDATE: Upon a second viewing, I still agree with my original review for the most part. The film has way too many plot lines and it tries to do too much. This much can safely be said about ASM 2, it is an ambitious film, maybe too ambitious. The visual effects are all spectacular (both Goblin and Electro look fantastic,all of the fights are pretty and great,  and the various scenes of Spidey swinging around the city are breathtaking and fun). I think the emotional parts near the end actually work extremely well (maybe I was just having an off day when I first saw this film), and naturally the Goblin/Spidey and Electro/Spidey fights near the end are spectacular and awesome. Jamie Foxx is pretty great as Electro, although (as I said in my original review) he is on the back burner for most of the film. I still think Andrew Garfield is THE PERFECT Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and Emma Stone is just too perfect as Gwen Stacy (Yes, I still love their relationship and think they are a great couple). I'm happy that I can officially say I think this is a much better film than the first Amazing Spider-Man film. ASM 2 is certainly far from a perfect film, but it's still pretty damned great for the most part.