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
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