Maleficent

Stars: 8 / 10

Fanciful, beautiful, exciting, and fun : an instant favourite! With faeries, shapeshifters, enchanted forests, and Angelina Jolie being a badass in sexy fantasy costumes with horns... what's not to love?!

I was anxiously awaiting its release all year, as Maleficent has always been one of my favourite villains, and I must say, it far surpassed all of my expectations.

I saw it in 3D, which was great fun... though sadly, no theatre in my area is showing it in English, so I cannot properly comment on the original scripted dialogue and the quality of voice acting from the original cast, but the French dub wasn't too bad (for a dub), and I can say that the physical language of the film is really well done; Jolie's performance, in particular, was absolutely captivating!

In his directorial debut, Robert Stromberg's well-seasoned talents as a visual effects artist (90+ credits, to date, with a heavy emphasis on matte painting) were certainly put to good use. The effects nearly steal the show from Jolie, with lots of faeryland splendour and sparkle, beautiful landscapes, and adorable creatures. There's so much to see, and all of it is delightful.

Much to my surprise, the story is quite different from Disney's original Sleeping Beauty (on which this film is inspired, both as a prequel and a re-telling.) Although I'm a fan of the original, I am pleased with several of the changes, including what is, in my opinion, a much more appropriate and relevant moral (particularly for young ladies.) Bravo.

It remains a family film, though the story is darker than the original, and even brutal in one scene (I was not alone in gasping aloud!) One should be advised of the potential scariness for very young / sensitive viewers.

The characterisation is much more sophisticated than one might expect from a typical Disney film, and certainly more so than the original 1950's animated Sleeping Beauty. I found that most of the main characters (except for Aurora/Sleeping Beauty) have much more dynamic personalities, as compared to their original counter-parts, and although they retain a certain archetype, no one is completely flat and mono-chromatic, and they even evolve (as real people do), throughout the course of story.

Maleficent is not a musical (thankfully). The film's score isn't particularly noteworthy (aha, see what I did there?) but there is a slightly strange, though not all together unpleasant, version of Sleeping Beauty's signature song Once Upon A Dream, sung by Lana Del Rey, that plays through the credits. If you're a Del Rey fan, you'll be pleased, and if not... well... most people don't care about the credits anyway, so hopefully, you're one of them.

The costumes and wardrobe, especially for Maleficent, are fantastic. I really enjoyed the re-imagined costumes for the 3 good faeries (so much fine detail!) There are a lot of winged characters in this tale (yay!) and each one is uniquely designed and detailed.

I highly recommend Maleficent to anyone who loves a visually-stunning fantasy adventure and strong female leads.

Director: Robert Stromberg
Year: 2014
Main Cast: Angelina Jolie, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1587310/?ref_=shtt_ov_tt

*** Star Rating Scale ***

How films are judged:

I rate films within their respective genres, and always consider the era in which they were made, judging a film on its own merits, as well as in contrast to others (within their genre.)

Though I try to be fair and balanced, a certain amount of personal bias does figure into the scores (of course.)

Stars : 0 - 10

0 : Unwatchable. This film is an unwatchable abomination. Consider it one of the worst movies that never should have been made. Whoever released it is a sadist. If I couldn't suffer through the whole thing, it's an instant 0.

1 : Garbage. Burn it and bury it! Unless you are being paid a King's ransom, this movie is never worth watching. Somehow, I managed to suffer through it, but there is nothing worthwhile about this movie. Nothing. Unless you are a glutton for punishment, don't waste your time.

2: Awful. This film is a stinkbomb. Hold your nose and run the other way! There was at least one scene or major element of the film that I liked, but overall, it's best used as fertilizer.

3: Bad. Mostly this movie is Awful, but there was at least one or two scenes that I liked, perhaps one actor's performance was well done, or some effort worth nodding to. It's still tripe, though.

4: Tolerable. It wasn't the worst movie, it even had a few ok scenes/qualities, but it had a lot of stink, too. This film is nothing special. I have no interest in ever seeing it again. Meh.

5: OK. I didn't love, nor hate it, outright. A take-it-or-leave-it film, but has some redeeming qualities. Typically it's not something I would want to own, but I suppose would watch it again, at least once.

6: Good. I liked it. It was entertaining and enjoyable, even if there were some major goofs or wonky bits, overall, it's a decent movie. Not much of a prize winner, it won't redefine it's genre, it won't change your life, but something in this film makes it worth watching. I would certainly recommend it to someone who loves its specific genre.

7: Distinctive. This film stands out amongst its peers. Something about this movie has greatness. There was some imperfection, but overall, this film was really well made. This film is memorable, and sticks with you. I recommend it, and it's something that I would definitely want to own.

8: Fantastic. An instant favourite. This film is exceptionally good! It's impressive, unique and beautifully produced, it raises the bar. A memorable film that stirs the mind and the emotions. You have to shake it off after you see it, because it teleports you into its world. You may find yourself thinking about it days, even months, afterwards. I highly recommend it, and it's certainly something I would want to own.

9: Practically Perfect. I love this film! It's rare to find a gem like this. Treasure it. Practically perfect in every way, you'll never tire of it, and every time you see it, it shines like diamonds. This unforgetable film will change the way you look at all others. Depending on the type of film, it may even influence your life. I definitely recommend it, and you can bet your bippy that I own it, in a special edition, whenever possible.

10: Perfection.

FAQ

Why do you write reviews?
-- I love film, and I like to share.

Why minimal reviews?
-- I like to review in a way that cuts to the heart of the matter.

I'm not going to give you a long-winded synopsis of the film, because trailers, official film websites, and IMDB already do that. I will tell you, in a nutshell, what's the premise of the film, and what I liked or didn't like about it.

Birth of the Blog:
I tweet about movies after I watch them, and thus, the idea of a blog with my minimal movie reviews was born. I wanted to collect my reviews in one easy-to-access place, as well as have the option to give an Expanded Review for some of the films.

My Twitter: https://twitter.com/BonnieSparkles

Why so many thrillers and horror movies?
-- I like the genres, so I watch a lot of them.

Where you do live?
-- central France

How/where do you watch these movies?
-- Online, mostly. Some I borrow from the library, some I own on disc, and some I saw in the theatre.

Have you studied film making?
-- Not in a professional sense, no. I took one "history of film" course at uni, I've read a handful of screenplays, books about how to write screenplays, and inumerable books and articles on film making and the history of films. I've watched thousands of films, as well as countless documentaries and interviews with/about film makers.

Maleficent

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