IMDb plot summary: A vengeful fairy is driven to curse an infant princess, only to discover that the child may be the one person who can restore peace to their troubled land.
Directed by Robert Stromberg. Starring Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, and Imelda Staunton.
I'm a big fan of the original Disney version of Sleeping Beauty, and part of that is how interesting Maleficent is. Too bad this version of the story doesn't let her arc really land. It gets off to a solid start (the moment when she wakes up and finds her wings gone is surprisingly moving), but the movie switches her from villain to hero too early, too definitively, and with no clear impetus. It's just Aurora's magic Mary Sue abilities that transform everyone, I guess. It's a disappointing shift that significantly lowers the stakes for the rest of the film and virtually eliminates its emotional impact.
On top of that, the movie looks awkward. I'm sure they were going for a magical fairy tale ethereal quality, but it just looks fake and cheesy, and that flavors the storytelling. So yeah, this retelling doesn't work very well for me, which is a bummer because Maleficent is a great character. But I probably shouldn't have trusted Disney to tell a good villain story. That's not their strong point.
1.5 stars.
How it entered my Flickchart:
Maleficent < George of the Jungle
Maleficent > Opening Night
Maleficent < The Perfect Score
Maleficent > Ip Man
Maleficent < Extremities
Maleficent < The Hoober-Bloob Highway
Maleficent < Fantastic Voyage
Maleficent > The Lizzie McGuire Movie
Maleficent < Sands of Iwo Jima
Maleficent > A Man Called Peter
Maleficent > Are You My Neighbor?
Final spot: #1830 out of 2684.
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