Today I will be reviewing one of Disney's most interesting projects in recent memory. I am, of course, referring to "Maleficent" which tells the classic fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty" from the perspective of the antagonist. This is a bold move as Maleficent is one of Disney's most iconic villains. Its time to see how this turns out! Before I get started, I'd like to give a shoutout to the Free Gamer's Alliance YouTube channel. Their videos cover everything from walkthroughs, glitches, easter eggs, and various amusing video game related content, all of which is delivered with some colorful commentary while they have buckets of fun doing it. Here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/user/FreeGamersAlliance/.
For those of you unfamiliar with this one, here is the trailer:
- Angelina Jolie is absolutely fantastic here. She clearly loves the character and is having fun with it. She was easily the biggest reason that this movie doesn't completely fall apart.
- The special effects are incredible. They are a treat for the eyes and make the price of a 3D or Imax ticket much more worth it.
- The score was awesome. Every bit of music complements the movie perfectly.
The Bad:
- Outside of Angelina Jolie, the acting isn't great. I had a really hard time buying Elle Fanning's portrayal of Aurora. The same goes Brenton Thwaites and his portrayal of Philip. Sharlto Copley, who is usually awesome, overacts to the point that it is almost laughter inducing.
- The writing could have used some tweaking. Not only is there a few cases of frighteningly bad dialogue but the story is lacking direction. I think the plot would have been much more smooth if the movie had a better idea of whether this is a retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" or a reinvention of "Sleeping Beauty." It tries to do both and ends up feeling clunky as a result.
- The humor is very hit and miss. There are some moments that are naturally funny but others where it seems to be trying too hard.
The Verdict:
"Maleficent" had a lot of potential to be a great movie but instead ends up being just passable. It has a great concept but unfortunately isn't executed nearly as well as it should be. I would say that if you are looking for a visual treat or are a big fan of Angelina Jolie then this is worth a trip to the theater. If neither of the above apply to you, I would wait to rent it or watch it on Netflix.
Thanks for reading everyone. As usual feel free to leave a comment but please be advised that if you are going to read any potential comments that there may be spoilers.