Maleficent: My Review

The first part of this post will contain general information about the film "Maleficent". It does not contain any big spoilers.

On Friday night my mom and I saw "Maleficent". I was very skeptical at first. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Sleeping Beauty. Since I can remember it was one of my favorite stories. So I was worried about the re-telling of this Disney classic. 

I had heard many things about the movie. There was a ton of media hype. I was put off by it. I like Angelina Jolie but I have never been immersed by her acting. She never seemed to disappear into her roles (with the exception of "A Mighty Heart" and "Changelings") so I was worried about her performance of Maleifcent. Maleifcent is one of the best Disney Villains. She is ruthless and heartless. I wanted that to be portrayed in the movie.

First let me say, Angelina Jolie was AMAZING! She was everything a villain should be. I absolutely can not picture anyone else in this role. And her cheekbones are out of this world...remember friends: highlighting and contouring...

I was also surprised at Elle Fanning's performance as Aurora. I was worried about how my favorite Disney princess was going to be portrayed but Elle was adorable. In every way. She was stunning in this movie!

I will say that the twists were well done and the imagery was gorgeous. The Moors (were Maleficent is from) is a gorgeous placed filled with wonderful creatures. I really liked this movie. I suggest watching it with an open mind and I think you'll enjoy it too!

Before I move on to the second half I will say this: I saw lots and lots of little ones in the theater. A ton of them got really scared and I heard some of them start to cry and scream at certain parts. The movie is rated PG. If your kids can handle some scary stuff then I think they could handle it. My suggestion would be is to watch it first and then decide if your kids could handle it. Common Sense Media says it's appropriate for children 8 and up. You can find their review of it here.

*************************SPOILER ALERT!!!**************************

 The movie explains how Maleficent became evil. And I thought the story was very well written. Long story short, the creatures of the Moor and Humans do not get along. A young (and GORGEOUS) Maleficent, a fairy with huge mighty wings, meets a human orphan named Stefan. They become close friends and even grow to love each other. Stefan is power hungry and wants to be king, his ambitions stops him from seeing Maleficent for a long time. The king declares war on the Moors and Maleficent kicks his ass. The king says who ever can end Maleficent will become king. Stefan goes back to Maleficent, butters her up with some alcohol like drink, and then takes off her wings and delivers them to the king.

This scene is hard to watch. I would also think it is hard to explain to young curious children. It becomes even harder to watch when Maleficent wales up and discovers her wings are gone and she is in immense pain. Some people have said it was like watching date-rape. I didn't think it was that intense but then again it's a different view for everybody.  

After Maleficent finds out her wings have been taken, she gets a little pissed off and she makes herself Queen of the Moors. She meets a raven named Diaval, and he becomes her right hand man to spy on the now King Stefan (She can change Diaval into any creature, she turns him into a man, raven, dog and he becomes the iconic dragon as well). When she finds Stefan and the queen have had a child she becomes very angry and then we see the scene like in the original animated film.

The blessing scene is my favorite. She was so deliciously evil! Both scenes are very very similar so I loved that touch. It was awesome to see Angelina in this scene and this was when I became fully immersed into her character. This is were I felt like they had made the perfect choice for Maleficent.

One thing I didn't like was how they renamed the three fairies. And how different their characters were from the animated film. But I guess that's how it had to be in order to set up the story line twist of Maleficent becoming a silent guardian for Aurora. Although I wasn't thrilled with the three good fairies I did like the story line of Maleficent befriending Aurora.

I'll stop there with how the story goes. But I did LOVE the twist at the end. It was definitely not was I expected and I love when a movie does that. 

My Overall Thought for the movie:

With the exception of a few things I really loved this movie. Angelina Jolie surprised me for sure. I thought the story line was fantastic and I thought the imagery was awesome. I really liked the character Diaval! 

I was surprised with how many comedic moments there were in the movie as well. They were subtle but they made the movie even better. 

Will I see it again?

Yes for sure! I'll most likely buy it as well! 

Do I still love the classic?

Of course! I think both versions are great. I really think people should put them in different categories though. I think if you spend the entire movie comparing the two you are going to hate it. 

Have you seen Maleficent yet? Let me know what you think about it in the comments! and don't forget about my Disney movie giveaway! As soon as I reach 100 FB likes and Twitter followers I'll give away one of the Disney Movies (could even be this one!) to a lucky reader!