Maleficent
Angelina Jolie is the villainous Maleficent in this dark retelling of Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty. Follows the fairytale from the titular witch's perspective, depicting the events that hardened Maleficent's heart and drove her to curse young Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning), the living subject of the witch's hatred.
A beautiful, pure-hearted woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal. Bent on revenge, she faces an epic battle with the invading king's successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realises that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom...
The character of Maleficent is a Disney creation, who appeared in Sleeping Beauty (1959), the animator's version of the Grimm Brothers' wicked fairy godmother. This movie marks the feature directorial debut of Oscar-winning visual effects designer Robert Stromberg (Avatar, Alice in Wonderland).
Reviews & comments
Variety
pressUncertain of tone, and bearing visible scarring from what one imagines were multiple rewrites... but it sure is nice to look at for 97 minutes.
Total Film
pressMagical but modern, family-friendly but feisty and a feast for the eyes. Maleficent doesn't entirely reinvent the (spindle) wheel, but certainly provoke thought with its (ahem) prick teasing.
Time Out
pressIf you go into Maleficent expecting Jolie to be the badass of Sleeping Beauty, you’re going to get burned.
The New York Times
pressAt least nobody here is warbling about what she wants before hitting the road to self-actualization.
Hollywood Reporter
pressWith a dynamic blend of live action and effects, this is a dark, dazzling and psychologically nuanced fairy-tale reinvention.
Empire Magazine
pressIf this tiresome yarn is the 'true' story of one of Disney's most popular villains then, please, give us colourful lies and happy ignorance.
Without Angelina Jolie this film would never had been made. Although it looks fantastic, the story is just awful, with twists that you could see come a mile away. The worst of the fairytale reimaginings so far.
Angelina Jolie is the glue that holds this movie together.She has great acting skills and is a joy to watch.She has come a long way from the days of acting as Lara Croft It is a light movie,as fairy stories should be.It is easy to watch but also has some gripping moments. If you watch it for what it is and don't compare it with the original story,it does...
it is always refreshing to see a well-known fairy-tale from the story-telling perspective of the antagonist (protagonist-antagonist-protagonist) Maleficent. To be given a deeper understanding of what apparently transpired, to create such a "evil" character, putting Aurora (sleeping beauty) in harm's way makes a fairy-tale more humanly relatable. Again,...
Variety
pressUncertain of tone, and bearing visible scarring from what one imagines were multiple rewrites... but it sure is nice to look at for 97 minutes.
Total Film
pressMagical but modern, family-friendly but feisty and a feast for the eyes. Maleficent doesn't entirely reinvent the (spindle) wheel, but certainly provoke thought with its (ahem) prick teasing.
Time Out
pressIf you go into Maleficent expecting Jolie to be the badass of Sleeping Beauty, you’re going to get burned.
The New York Times
pressAt least nobody here is warbling about what she wants before hitting the road to self-actualization.
Hollywood Reporter
pressWith a dynamic blend of live action and effects, this is a dark, dazzling and psychologically nuanced fairy-tale reinvention.
Empire Magazine
pressIf this tiresome yarn is the 'true' story of one of Disney's most popular villains then, please, give us colourful lies and happy ignorance.
Without Angelina Jolie this film would never had been made. Although it looks fantastic, the story is just awful, with twists that you could see come a mile away. The worst of the fairytale reimaginings so far.
Angelina Jolie is the glue that holds this movie together.She has great acting skills and is a joy to watch.She has come a long way from the days of acting as Lara Croft It is a light movie,as fairy stories should be.It is easy to watch but also has some gripping moments. If you watch it for what it is and don't compare it with the original story,it does...
it is always refreshing to see a well-known fairy-tale from the story-telling perspective of the antagonist (protagonist-antagonist-protagonist) Maleficent. To be given a deeper understanding of what apparently transpired, to create such a "evil" character, putting Aurora (sleeping beauty) in harm's way makes a fairy-tale more humanly relatable....
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