"Maleficent" Review

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. We all know the story of Sleeping Beauty. An evil fairy puts a curse on a girl so she will prick her finger and die, only to have the spell weakened by a pixie so that she will wake up with true love's first kiss. In Disney's version from 1959, it was fairly cut and dried as a run of the mill animated story. 55 years later, Disney is telling it again, but trying to inject it with some new insight. 

In Maleficent, the classic tale starts off by telling the origins of the title fairy. She once had wings, but had them taken from her when she was betrayed by her love Stefan, who would eventually become king. In revenge, she puts a curse on his newborn daughter. 

It's decidedly different in many distinct ways from the original classic, but it outright tells you that "you don't know the real story." Therefore, they are justified on paper with any sort of deviation. It's a very noticeably darker tone for a Disney film, and I love the direction that they chose to pursue. It's very intriguing to have seen the transformation of this fairy into a villain and have it seem reasonable for the character's tragedy. So that's a plus. But frankly, it didn't go far enough. The actions she takes don't feel in line with a villain. The original Maleficent was pure evil, here she is very watered down. They went way too far with trying to make us have sympathy with her, which the backstory already did reasonably well. Yet we are constantly reminded that she is at fault, which is a reminder we don't need, and in the end comes across as insulting to the audience's intelligence. 

In addition, there is a pacing problem which may account for character issues. Sequences are either drawn out, or sped up giving issue to the developments and choices the characters make. Important plot details from the original are relegated to Easter Eggs due to the new direction the story takes. I would have loved to see more of an updated fleshing out of these ideas, but they move too quickly for us to let them sink in. 

To it's credit, it does have striking visuals....so yay. 

The main saving grace to the film is the absolutely Magnificent Maleficent played by Angelina Jolie. She submerges into the character deeply and wholly to create a terrifying villainess who is conflicted and hearted with her choices and actions. It's a brilliant update to the character and is induced with a brilliant commanding power and vocal range to instill fear and empathy into the viewer simultaneously. 

The only other performance that carries any insurmountable weight is that of Sharlto Copley as Stefan. He has this inner turmoil of knowing that he is in the wrong, but defending the actions he has taken. It creates a mentally unhinged state which Copley does so well, and what made him the sole redemption to the 2010 version of The A-Team. 

Basically Maleficent is carried by the brilliant interpretation of Angelina Jolie, and great visuals. But it suffers from poor pacing, and not adhering to the established tone. It's still worth a look. 

B-