A vengeful fairy curses the daughter of the king who betrayed her,
but soon realizes the child may be the only way to restore peace. FAMILY/FANTASY
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Maleficent (2014)Directed by Robert Stromberg
Written by Linda Woolverton Starring Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, Sam Riley, Brenton Thwaites Based on 1959's Sleeping Beauty Oscar Nominations - Best Costume Design |
I really enjoyed this Disney reboot. I did not have high expectations, but the film surprised me. Angelina Jolie did an incredible job as the evil fairy queen and the overall atmosphere of the film felt like the Disney classics. While it is fairly dark and a little scary for children, I would say Maleficent is a another tally mark in the win column for Disney and marks a hopeful rebirth of Sleeping Beauty.
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This was an overall pleasant surprise from Disney. A reboot of one of their more classic films, Sleeping Beauty, features the same magic and wonder of the original film. It also marks an impressive performance from Angelina Jolie as the title character, Maleficent. The only thing that really brings this film down is the decision to make one of cinema's more iconic villains into an overly sympathetic character.
The story is still mostly the same, with the exception of it being told from the perspective of the villain. This was a smart decision that gave us a new, fresh take on a well known story, while still retaining the Disney magic and whimsy that marked their earlier projects. It also wasn't afraid to go fairly dark sometimes, making it a little scary at times for the younger kids. While the cast all do a universally great job, the high praise has to go to Angelina Jolie's portrayal of the the title character. She does an excellent job of bring this iconic villain to life and making it her own. As stated earlier, the only real negative I have with this movie is the decision to turn Maleficent into a more sympathetic character. While I'm sure there were reasons for this, it takes away from the character and her original appearance. Overall, Maleficent proves that Disney might actually be onto something with their recent live action reboots of their classic cartoons. The film retains a lot of what made the original a classic, appealing to both young and old alike. I look forward to future live action Disney adaptations. |