Every villain has a past. Disney’s new film explores Maleficent’s beginning in this live action retelling of “Sleeping Beauty”
Disney’s highly anticipated Maleficent hit the cinemas this week, and boy was it a roller coaster ride. While not entirely what I expected, the film was an admirable exploration of one of Disney’s most iconic villains, starring one of the century’s most iconic actresses in the title role; Angelina Jolie.
The film centres on Maleficent, the evil fairy who cursed the princess Aurora in the 1959 animated classic Sleeping Beauty. Maleficent instead of simply rehashing the cartoon in live action splendor takes audiences into Maleficent’s past. Her motivations are made clear, providing never before seen insights into the character of Maleficent. She is not represented as a villain, quite the opposite. For much of the film she is someone who has been wronged, and is rightfully taking revenge, and it is revenge of the best kind. Stefan can do nothing to save his daughter, only wallow in terror, losing his mind as he awaits Aurora’s sixteenth birthday.
Jolie handles her role beautifully, owning the character of Maleficent in every way, shape and form. Her stage presence is phenomenal and her laugh is a sinister imitation of the animated character in the 1959 film. Her initial hatred of baby Aurora is incredibly comic, as is her continual magical harassment of the three good fairies, who are extremely incompetent care givers. Elle Fanning is less of a standout as Aurora, but nonetheless engages the audience with a commendable performance.
The only disappointment I felt were the number of changes to the final sequence, which I will not spoil for those of you who haven’t seen it. Let’s just say, it is a tad anti-climactic and fans of the original will feel the loss of key elements in what was a pounding conclusion to the animated film.
In conclusion Maleficent is in many ways a step forward for Disney, proving they can take a darker tone on what is traditionally a children’s tale. At the same time this film is a missed opportunity. For those who have already seen Maleficent, you will know the ending is a clear indication of Disney sitting on the fence between an adult/young adult and children’s audience demographic. Such fence sitting has detracted from the quality of the film, but this does not mean that it is not enjoyable overall.
7.5/10
Check out the haunting trailer below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pgmFAOgm5E]
-JoelE
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