Maleficentby Wilson Morales
When it comes re-imagining an old story for a new generation and audience, Disney has plenty of films in their vault that they have done in the past. From its animation and live-action divisions, films such as ‘The Parent Trap,’ ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ and ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ have seen its tales be adapted for a modern era and to a great success. Now comes ‘Maleficent,’ a film based on a character that comes from their 1959 animated classic ‘Sleeping Beauty.’ With Angelina Jolie as a force of nature in this magnificent fantasy, Disney has another entertaining family friendly adventure on their hands.
Set in a world where fairies and creatures live blissfully and apart from humans, Maleficent, as a young fairy loves to hang in trees and fly around. During her childhood, she meets a young farmer boy named Stefan as the two share a hidden friendship that would later proves dangerous due to their worlds and politics. As Maleficent get older (and turns in Jolie), her strength is stronger than before, her wings bigger than imagined, and she now serves as protector of the creatures and its land. When engaged in a battle with the humans, the King, who is wounded by Maleficent, and they are no match for her and her army of walking trees, puts a bounty on her. For anyone, who can kill her and bring evidence will be rewarded not with money or gold, but with the kingdom itself.
Stephan (played by Sharlto Copley), yearning for attention and position, knows that he has access to Maleficent that no one has, and sets on a mission to fulfill his quest for power. The years apart hasn’t deterred Maleficent’s hopeless feelings for Stefan, and when least expected, her reunion with Stefan comes with an ultimate betrayal.
Stripped off her angelic wings, but still retaining some magical powers, Maleficent uses them to transfer Diaval (Sam Riley) from crow to human and vice-versa as he serves as her eyes and ears. Through him, she learns that Stefan has become the leader of humans due to his “act of bravery.” With the birth of his daughter, Maleficent reveals herself to all at the castle and places a curse on the newborn, where on her 16th birthday, princess Aurora will experience the sleep of death, where only a “true love’s kiss” will break the curse.
Not all fairies are hated, as King Stefan entrusts his daughter’s upkeep in the hands of three pixies (Imeda Staunton, Lesley Manville, and Juno Temple), who would transform themselves as humans to raise the girl. Meanwhile, keeping watch all the time and waiting for her curse take place is Maleficent. But a funny thing happened as Aurora (Elle Fanning) got older and closer to her 16th birthday. In watching Aurora blend in blissfully with her world and being called “godmother,” Maleficent’s revenge had soften, but the curse could not be broken. With time running out, Maleficent makes a play to break the spell, but that entails a date back at the castle and another encounter with King Stefan, who wants her dead.
The film is the directorial debut of Roberth Stromberg, who is more known for his visual effects on films such as Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and winning Oscars for art direction on James Cameron’s Avatar and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Remnants of those films can be seen in this film and to a satisfying degree. From the look of Maleficent, to the creatures and the landscape, it all looks fabulous and enchanting.
As the storyteller, Linda Woolveton’s script is questionable. While Stromberg certainly did well with style, at 98 minutes, there isn’t much substance to balance the two. While Maleficent’s story is wonderfully told with layers of dimensions, the rest are stock characters with little to be dazzled by. Fanning doesn’t do much but make facial expressions, and Staunton, Manville, and Temple are relegated for comic relief, where is there none. Blink and one will miss Brenton Thwaites in a wasted, “red herring” role.
Despite these setbacks, it’s Jolie’s film and she makes the most of it. From her cheekbones to her flying skills, she’s been given a character to have fun with. For her, the emotions is roller coaster of right and wrong, and Jolie does well in making the “villain” likeable. Along with Riley, who provides some words of wisdom as her shape-shifter guide, ‘Maleficent’ provides a number of amazing sequences that will please audiences.
