“You poor simple fools, thinking you could defeat me! Me,
the Mistress of All Evil!” These words were spoken by Disney’s most icon
villain, Maleficent in the 1959 classic “Sleeping Beauty” but just what drove
this fairy to the dark side and what was her life like before? These questions
and more are answered in Disney’s latest live-action film, Maleficent. The
story begins with a young fairy, Maleficent as she meet a young boy named
Stefan and the two form a friendship. Years later, Stefan betrays his childhood
friend in order to become king and tries to destroy Maleficent’s sacred home.
Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) becomes enraged by Stefan’s actions and promises
revenge for this crime. But just what is the revenge and how does it connect
with one of Disney’s most famous princesses? The answer to this and all other
questions await you in this tale of darkness and wonder. As Maleficent herself
might say, “it’s a movie too magical to miss”.
While I normally don’t give spoilers in my review, this film
requires me to break that role. I went into the theater with very low
expectations of this film and came out with not only my low expectations
confirmed, but feeling very disappointed at the entire plot. Without revealing
too much, let me say that while I appreciate and applaud the writers at Disney
for their “outside of the box” approaches in their latest films i.e. Frozen and
Oz the Great and Powerful, this is one time I really wish they had stuck to
Walt’s original fairy tale formal. Not only does this film attempt to rewrite a
story that many know and love, but it, in a sense, makes a mockery of the
lessons in it (true love and redemption). It changes beloved characters and
gives us a plot that, while it hints at the original film, will still leave
some wondering, “where did that come from?” Angelina Jolie’s performance is
amazing and will no doubt earn a few award nominations and achievements but
even her brilliant work in this film cannot overshadow a shaky plot. Elle
Fanning (Aurora)’s character manages to remain intact, reflecting the
youthfulness and innocence of the classic princess, but she too, is a victim of
the other elements of this picture. In addition, the reused scenery from Tim
Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and Oz the Great and Powerful is also a huge
disappointed. I understand that it was meant to make Maleficent’s home more
magical but anyone who has seen the two previous films will feel this way a
cheap way out of the extra attention that the scenes sorely needed.
Furthermore, the character changes made to Maleficent, while creative, ultimate
contradicted the original material. In conclusion, those who love the original
Sleeping Beauty may want to think twice about seeing this movie. I’m not saying
their view of the classic film will be ruined but those who appreciate the
original work created by Walt Disney and his 9 Old Men may leave the theater
feeling that this prequel did not live up the high standards of its animated
counterpart. From the Mickey Mouse Movie House, this film receives a D- The tagline
for this film is “Happily Ever After is official over”. After seeing this
picture I can say that it is still intact.
-Marc D.
-Marc D.
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