‘Sleeping Beauty’ redone, but this time from the point of view of the villain.
Maleficent is a fun fantasy film that the whole family can enjoy. This film was directed by Robert Stromberg and was released on May 30, 2014. It is rated PG, was released by Walt Disney Studios, and has a running time of 97 minutes.
I have to say I was interested to see this film when I heard they were making it, but it was not going to be an easy task. Whenever someone decides to take a story and try to retell it from another perspective, it is not always guaranteed that it will turn out well. I have to say though, after seeing this film they did a good job. Once the film ends, you do feel sympathy for certain characters and Angelina Jolie was made to play this character.
The film begins in a place called the moors. Maleficent lives here in a land where no humans have ever set foot in, a place full of treasures and all kinds of mystical creatures. It is an amazing place, but the king wants to break in there an get a hold of all the treasure inside of it. One day a small boy comes to her land, and they fall in love. He becomes the only boy allowed to see her here, and she trusts him implicitly.
Years later when Maleficent is older, a war breaks out between the kings men and her own kind, and he is defeated. With the king slowly dying, he says anyone who defeats that evil witch (Maleficent) will be his successor and become the new king. A terrible thing then happens to Maleficent that changes her life forever. After this she is never the same. Maleficent then becomes bent on revenge toward the new king Stefan, and when Aurora is born she curses her. She says when Aurora turns 16 she will prick her finger on a spindle and never wake up, but does change her mind and says that true loves kiss will break the curse.
With her curse made, she seems happy for a while. But over time she begins to kind of like Aurora, and they slowly become friends. She allows her to visit her land and does her best to take care of her. But with Aurora’s 16th birthday coming up soon, she becomes very distressed. What is she going to do? Is there any hope of stopping the curse? Or is Aurora doomed to this fate?
Angelina Jolie plays Maleficent, Sharlto Copley plays King Stefan, Elle Fanning play Aurora, Sam Riley play Diaval who is a raven shape shifter and Maleficent’s confidant, Brenton Thwaites play Philip, Imelda Staunton plays Knotgrass, Juno Temple plays Thistlewhit, and Lesley Manville plays Flittle.
This was a pretty good film. The special effects are amazing, and really help bring the moors to life. I will admit it relies too much on special effects, and it may have been nice to have built some of these sets, may have added a it or realism to the film. The film does a good job of telling the other side of this story, and has some interesting twists that are hard to see coming.
There is a dragon in this film, but not in the way you would think. The story is one of betrayal and revenge, and does show how such things can blind you to what really is important in life. Maleficent has many moments of being cold hearted an cruel, but there are many scenes where you can tell her heart is melting and she is starting to care for someone other than herself. When the film ends, it does have a happy ending and it seems like everything will be okay for both of these lands.
So far this film has made $70 million in the US alone, and got the #1 spot this weekend.
This is a good film to go see with the family. I agree it is a bit dark, but it has some great lessons in it. Check it out, i doubt you will regret it.