Maleficent
Image: Angelina Jolie as Maleficent. ©Disney 2014
Disney’s reimagining of the classic Sleeping Beauty tale is dark and beautiful. Maleficent brings the fairy world to life with stunning visual effects and fantastical characters. The costumes and styling are perfect and aptly reflect both the mood and scenery.
Angelina Jolie gives a powerful performance as the scorned, infamous Maleficent. Shifting the focus from Aurora to Maleficent could have been dangerous but a well-written backstory and clever plot twists ensure that the character is enthralling enough to carry such a weighty project. And it bears repeating – Jolie is magnificent. She revels in the delicious malice of the character and reaches into the very depths of her soul to convey pain in the moments that change everything.
There comes a point when Aurora must fall victim to her sleeping curse and this is unfortunately the only downside in an otherwise entertaining film. Suddenly scenes become esoteric and trippy. The style is not in keeping with the rest of the film and it feels strange, especially considering director Robert Stromberg’s strong background in visual effects. Perhaps this is the point, but it is jarring (LL)
****/5
