'Maleficent' Review- Why Reduce Disney's Most Evil Villain Into A MeToo Allegory?
This film was released in 2014.
Maleficent is a dark fantasy film directed by Robert Stromberg and written by Linda Woolverton. It is one of those Disney live action remakes, this time tackling Sleeping Beauty.
There was a love story between the human serf Stefan (Sharlto Copley) and the fairy Maleficent (Angelina Jolie), however, when the possibility of becoming married to King Henry’s daughter and thus becoming king makes him greedy, he steals Maleficent’s wings, thus turning her into an evil enchantress.
She appears at the christening of Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning) where she puts a sleeping curse on her that can only be broken by true love’s kiss. The child is sent away to live with three dimwitted pixies, but Aurora meets Maleficent, mistaking her for her fairy godmother.
As Maleficent grows closer to the child, she regrets her decision and soon decides to revoke the curse, but it fails, and she soon finds Prince Philip (Brenton Thwaites) who only just met Aurora and she hopes he can break the spell. Meanwhile, King Stefan grows more cold and callous, plotting to destroy his former lover and make her pay.
The film is very well told and it is some of the best acting I’ve ever seen Angelina Jolie do. I also thought Elle Fanning was well-cast as Briar Rose. She was charming, clever, and perfect for the role.
James Newton Howard also does a phenomenal job with the score. It had some incredible music that complemented each sequence very well.
Originally, I thought returning the fairy tale to its grim origins was a good concept, but the problem was that it was poorly executed.
There were a couple of problems in this film. The pixies just sort of let Aurora wander off and they realize that Maleficent is tutoring her. Also, it seems Disney is distancing itself away from the “love at first sight” that made the animated films so popular. That in itself is not a problem, but it is an annoyance.
Secondly, there was no clear role model for men. Prince Philip has about three minutes of screen time and does not even get to do battle. He was unique among the Disney princes in that he fought for his true love, but that has been forgotten to replace it with a politically correct culture that is brewing. I don’t mind filmmakers making political statements in films, but geez, be honest about it. Don’t sacrifice your film for the sake of identity politics.
My main complaint is with Maleficent herself. She is suppose to be the Mistress of All Evil, and is suppose to be the most nefarious of all Disney villains. Now they have watered her down so much I cannot even recognize her. I do not understand why Disney is watering down their villains. Maleficent is the personification of perverted power and to reduce her to some sort of “Me Too” allegory is insulting.
I have no problem with putting villains in context or even giving them a tragic backstory. However, I want a villain that I can love to hate, and this movie fails to deliver that.
Bottom line, first-time director Stromberg brings us a new take on the Disney animated fantasy film with Maleficent. It tells the story of the most evil and wicked of all Disney villains. However, disappointingly, this is not the Maleficent I wanted to see.
PARENTAL WARNING: Fantasy violence
Check out the trailer below:
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, or anime you would like me to review.