[Movie Review] Maleficent (2014)
Plot Summary: A vindictive fairy is driven to curse an infant princess only to realize the child may be the only one who can restore peace.
Director: Robert Stromberg
Writers: Linda Woolverton (written by), Charles Perrault (based on the story " La Belle au Bois Dormant" by), Jacob Grimm (based on the story "Little Briar Rose" by), Wilhelm Grimm (based on the story "Little Briar Rose" by), Erdman Penner (based from the motion picture "Sleeping Beauty", story adaptation by)
Runtime: 97 min
Main Cast:
- Angelina Jolie as Maleficent
- Elle Fanning Aurora
- Sharlto Copley as Stefan
- Lesley Manville as Flittle
- Imelda Staunton as Knotgrass
- Juno Temple as Thistlewit
- Sam Riley as Diaval
- Brenton Thwaites as Prince Phillip
Review: by Anthony and Lee
What is there not to like about Angelina Jolie as Maleficent? We knew as soon as we heard about Maleficent that we were definitely going to see it.
What We Liked:
Angelina Jolie may have been born to play Maleficent. Her naturally high cheekbones and facial structure allowed for minimal makeup and prosthetics to transform her into Disney’s greatest villain. Jolie played the woman scorned role perfectly, and at times she almost seemed to break away from the script with some well timed ad libs. Though her acting was a bit spotty at times, for the most part, she was pretty solid, and we enjoyed seeing her play out Maleficent’s dark sense of humor. We particularly enjoyed the scenes where she made King Stephan beg and her many one-sided conversations with Diaval.
The best parts of this movie, however, were those where young Aurora was bonding with her “fairy Godmother,” Maleficent. We love how they formed the relationship between the two, especially Maleficent’s snide comments and her nickname for Aurora, Beastie. Jolie’s own 5 year old daughter, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, played the role of 5 year old Aurora, which really set the tone for these bonding scenes.
The visual effects and costumes may be where Maleficent was really able to shine, though. From the scenes of Maleficent taking to the sky with her massive and powerful wings to her many uses of magic, the CGI was great and looked amazing in 3D. We also liked Maleficent’s many costume changes throughout the movie, particularly the various styles of headpieces she wore. Even with the different costume options, however, the classic Maleficent look was immaculate. Her arrival in the castle for the christening scene, complete with staff and Diaval, was perfect. The silhouette and shadow was shown multiple times, and it looked like the cartoon come to life each time.
It also had a definite storybook feel to it, which was nice. The fairy tale aspect of it made it pretty predictable, but that was nice in its own way as well.
What We Didn’t Like:
Although it was weakly explained, the war that broke out between the two kingdoms of the humans and moors felt forced, and the entire christening scene and Maleficent’s curse, aside from the visual effects, was bad. It felt shoe horned into the scorned women story that was being developed.
Summary
Maleficent certainly wasn’t what we expected it to be, the dark telling of how Maleficent got to be so evil. Rather, it was an entire re-imagining of the story. We enjoyed it, and it was good for the children’s movie it was supposed to be.
Images courtesy of IMDB -© 2013 – Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved
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