Angelina Jolie
Sharlto Copley
Elle Fanning
Sam Riley
Imelda Staunton

Linda Woolverton

97 mins.
Action, Adventure, Family
May 30, 2014

Rated PG for sequences of fantasy action and violence, including frightening images. (MPAA)

Disney’s “Maleficent” looks like a mix of “The NeverEnding Story,” “Oz the Great and Powerful,” and “Snow White and the Huntsman,” with the Ents from “The Lord of the Rings” film trilogy thrown in. (The Ent-look is definitely in right now.) You can see where the money went. This look is what has become standard fare for contemporary fairy tales. (I wish that someone would do something new in that regard.)

At its beginning, this film plods along. It doesn’t make you care. For instance, the importance of love is presented in a shallow manner, which, like the rest of this sentence, can cause one’s eyes to roll. The filmmakers rely on us, the audience, to fill in the gaps. Even the importance of Maleficent’s wings is explored with little depth. This is problematic because Angelina Jolie acknowledged, during an interview with BBC Radio’s Women’s Hour, that when Sharlto Copley’s Stefan steals Maleficent’s wings, it’s a metaphor for rape. She and the writer were very conscious of that. Well, if you want to go there, then you better do it with nuance and depth, especially within the context of a family film.

There are other serious themes that this film references (the Moors, anyone?) without landing them. Too bad.

Despite that, once Maleficent (the character) turns bad, Jolie has a lot of fun with the role. She smiles, sneers, purrs, slinks around, and even successfully conveys authenticity, when appropriate. But when she yells, it’s too strident to be effective; it’s laughable instead of frightening. They should’ve added bass notes to her voice à la Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel in “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” film trilogies.

Regardless, Jolie’s nothing if not fully committed, even when she ventures into the ridiculous. She’s the only reason to watch this, but she doesn’t have the support of a script that does her performance any justice. She actually doesn’t have much to play, despite her ability to milk any moment that happens to come her way.

In regards to the rest of the actors, they do their jobs, but little else. I don’t buy Copley as Maleficent’s lover or as the eventual King. His acting’s fine, as always, but he’s miscast. It’s not his fault; he’s a character actor, and an excellent one at that.

Overall, “Maleficent” has no rhythm. It’s surprisingly disjointed; it doesn’t build in a coherent fashion. However, it does provide a valuable lesson for kids: Don’t start none, won’t be none.

Verdict: OKish

About: (Source: maleficent)

Explore the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain in this wickedly fun twist on the classic Sleeping Beauty. In an unforgiving mood after a neighboring kingdom threatens her forest, Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) places an irrevocable curse on the king’s newborn daughter, the Princess Aurora. But as the child grows, Maleficent finds herself becoming fond of the girl. And as the conflict between the two realms intensifies, Maleficent realizes that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land. Journey beyond the fairy tale in this soaring adventure that is “visually arresting, brilliantly designed” (Andrew Barker, Variety).