Movie Reivew: Maleficent

Last weekend I went to Maleficent.  I have seen a number of reviews of the movie and some of them have been mixed.  So, let me add opinions on Disney’s recent movie featuring a protagonist traditionally portrayed as pure evil.  (Review spoiler: I recommend seeing the moving.)

First, a bit of a warning, when I went to see the movie, there were a number of people bringing children who were definitely under 10 years old, some perhaps as young as 6 or 7.  I would say the movie is a little dark for kids that young.  It is rated PG13 and while I’ve never been a fan of the movie industries rating scheme, there is enough violence that I’d tend to make sure the kinds are mature enough to handle it.  For the adults, as with most Disney movies, there is plenty of adult themes running throughout the film.

This story is told from the point of view of Maleficent, who happens to be a powerful fairy living in the lands next to humans.  The young Maleficent, who is generally happy and trusting, befriends a young human boy, Stefan, who is caught trying to steal from the fairies.  As they age (quickly in terms of screen time) they grow apart as people sometimes do.

In a parallel plot, the king of the human lands grows jealous of the power and wealth the fairies have.  The king decides to conquer the fairies and Maleficent (now older and played by Angelina Jolie) repels the king and his army.  The king, terrified to near death by Maleficent, promises his daughter’s hand and the kingdom to anyone who will kill Maleficent.

This is where tradition in these types of stories shows up and Stefan, Maleficent’s old friend (now played by Sharlto Copley) uses his friendship to betray her to gain the throne and the hand of the prior King’s daughter.  It is their daughter, Aurora (played by Elle Fanning) that Maleficent curses.

I will not go into any more of the plot to avoid spoilers, but I will stay that while a number of the aspects of the traditional Disney’s Sleeping Beauty are present, this movie does offer some different takes on the storyline and I was glad to see that.

The special effects were good, but I will stay there was something that seemed perhaps too stiff when Maleficent was flying.  I’ve not really thought too much about the physics of it, but I think that perhaps her legs should have had a more rhythmic movement (I know this is nitpicking, but it stood out to me).

I will also offer a thought to those who are looking for a movie where a truly evil person is the protagonist.  Some of the reviews I had seen complained that Maleficent was not evil enough.  Personally, I think the main character has to be someone who the audience can relate to.  I found it easy to relate to Maleficent over the course of the story.  Her actions seemed plausible to me and while it would still be plausible for her to be even more “evil”, I don’t know that I would have personally been able to relate as much to her plight.

It may just be me, but I don’t know that I would really want to watch or read a story where the main character had few, if any, redeeming qualities.  Just my take on some of the comments I have seen on the internet (yeah, I know, sometimes there are very few redeeming qualities in what we find on the internet, but it got me thinking).

So, final opinion, I would give it 4 out of 5 stars and recommend seeing it.