Maleficent

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, Sam Riley, Brenton Thwaites, Kenneth Cranham
Directed by: Robert Stromberg
Rating: PG
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
2014

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: After a devastating betrayal, the fairy Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) decides to get revenge by cursing the daughter (Elle Fanning) of her former friend (Sharlto Copley).

Review:

Tim: I have to say I'm really not a big fan of Disney's recent trend of reworking their animated classics into live action films. I was very underwhelmed by Alice in Wonderland and was likewise a bit underwhelmed by Maleficent. I don't know exactly what the problem is, but something is being lost in the transition from animation to live action. The Disney magic is wearing off (perhaps by money?). This film is okay- it's a perfectly average retelling of a story most people know. It's a harmless film, but one that just did not feel necessary to me.

I still remember the first time I saw a still of Angelina Jolie as Maleficent- it was incredible. She looked exactly like the character from the animated film. It was perfect, like she was born to play the role. She's easily the best part of the film. Jolie gets a lot of criticism (some of it deserved), but she is a talented actress. While her ability to act is hampered a bit by the script, it's still great fun to see her in this role. That is the chief reason to see this film. The rest of the cast is a bit disappointing, so it all rests on Jolie's shoulders.

Elle Fanning plays Aurora, and I'm usually a fan of Fanning. For a young actress, she certainly has talent and a great deal of potential. I'm not sure what happened here, but I thought she was awful. She plays the role like she was dipped in the sugariest syrup, floating through the film on a cloud, with a huge grin on her face. I felt no connection to her character in the least. It felt like she was determined to play a cardboard cutout rather than an actual human being. It's one of the most perplexing performances I've seen in quite a while. Fanning is young, so I blame director Robert Stromberg, who was making his directorial debut and is so obviously out of his element when it comes to the cast. I also like Sharlto Copley, and he's a strong enough actor and experienced enough to eke out a decent performance. It felt like Stromberg didn't really know what to do with him. They didn't explore his descent into madness nearly enough (it's a watered-down PG movie, remember) and his character exists in this weird limbo. Are we supposed to hate him or feel sorry for him? The film never seems to know. I also was horribly disappointed in the one-note performances of Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton, and Juno Temple. They play the three fairies protecting Aurora and really, the less I say of them, the better. They're portrayed here as these bungling, oblivious characters. Why on Earth would the King entrust his newborn daughter to three selfish morons who don't even know what babies eat? It just made no sense and all three of their performances made me sad, rather than bringing any kind of lightheartedness that Stromberg obviously expected them to bring. Brenton Thwaites made for a dull Prince who really didn't have anything to do. Sam Riley, on the other hand, surprised me a very strong performance- one that rivals Jolie for the best in the film. If he keeps turning in solid work (even in disappointing movies like this), he's going to do great things.

My other issue with this film is how bland it all comes across. It was as if Disney decided that since they were appealing to children first, they had to remove anything of real substance from the film. In the original Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent is a villain (and a very good one). Here, she's really just misunderstood. I did enjoy seeing what caused her to become so villainous- I genuinely like the idea that people aren't born evil, but can be pushed in that direction based on life events. However, Maleficent isn't just misunderstood, she's actually the hero of the film. This works if you're appealing to a ten year old girl with no concept of the world, but that doesn't translate into a great story. I just didn't care for how Maleficent was portrayed here. I'm all for making two-dimensional characters more relatable and understandable, but it just felt like the original concept of the story was twisted too much.

Another slight complaint I have is the overuse of CGI. The whole fantasy world is depicted here, but nothing really looks real. It's the same complaint I had with Alice in Wonderland and Oz, the Great and Powerful. People become obsessed with what they can do with CGI, and while the special effects are impressive, they don't look real. That gives the film this fairy tale quality (which arguably could be positive), but it's disconnected from a relatable reality (which is really bad).

Maleficent is certainly not a very impressive movie. Director Robert Stromberg was the wrong person to bring this to life (I don't understand why first time directors are given these big films- they need to start small and hone their craft). While Stromberg botches what could have been something special, I also admit he didn't deliver a disaster. Jolie's performance is too good to allow that to happen. This is an okay movie, an average but forgettable film. Disney can be happy they didn't put out a complete dud, but audiences deserve much, much better than this.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, Oz the Great and Powerful