Production year: 2014
Released on May 30th Worldwide
Country: USA
Directors: Robert Stromberg
Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy, Romance, Family
Main Cast:
- Angelina Jolie
- Elle Fanning
- Imelda Staunton
- India Eisley
- Juno Temple
- Miranda Richardson
- Peter Capaldi
- Sharlto Copley
Runtime: 97 min
Storyline:
A pretty, kind-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an fortunate life growing up in a peaceful forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army hits the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land’s aggressive protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless bamboozle act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone & forces her to rashly protect the forest kingdom. As revenge, she casts a curse upon Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning), but as the time goes, Maleficent starts realizing that the young girl holds the key to prosperity & gay within the kingdom.
Little kids who find Sleeping Beauty scary might be frightened by Maleficent — as well as the battles between her forest creatures and the king’s men — but for older children and up, it could be a great fit.
For a reminder of how wonderful Frozen is, watch Maleficent. This summer blockbuster season, Disney has turned out a live-action re-imagining of their own animated version of Sleeping Beauty, from 1959. As recently as six months ago, this might have felt subversive, even significant, although after seeing Elsa and Anna letting it go on icing-sugar mountains and finding endings happier than any standard-issue handsome prince could provide, the fun on offer here feels relatively thawed.
Maleficent, played by Angelina Jolie, is the wicked fairy, down to the sleek black-and-purple gown and the hat like two raised scorpion-stings. With her sculpted cheekbones and red lipstick, she is more Ava Gardner than Cruella Deville. Jolie’s glamour and star power are undiminished. She has an old world glamour and screen presence that leaves many of the rest of the characters here looking wan and one dimensional. That means the film is never quite as scary as might have been anticipated. At least, there are plenty of incidental pleasures along the way. Imelda Staunton, Lesley Manville and Juno Temple cluck and fuss to fine comic effect as the squabbling pixies who take Aurora (Elle Fanning) in tow.
Here, though, her wickedness is limited to that famous fit of rage at Princess Aurora’s christening – the flash of green fire, the spinning-wheel curse, reproduced here from the 1959 cartoon version almost word-for-word – for which she spends much of this film trying to make amends. As a rule, you want your wicked witches to be wicked. Maleficent, a film which exists in an enchanted nether land between animation and live action, boasts gorgeous 3-D visuals and a striking, Diva-like performance from Angelina Jolie. Nor does the film have quite the level of phantasmagorical perversity that Tim Burton (originally slated to direct) might have brought to the same material. There is real poignancy, though, in the way in which Maleficent loses her wings – and with them a crucial part of her powers.
Rating :
IMDB users have rated the movie 7.6/10 before the releaseI rate the movie 4.2/5
Synopsis
It is a witty re-invention of Sleeping Beauty, from the point of view of the villainess. Jolie’s Maleficent looks evil enough, consorts with ravens, causes the heavens to rumble and puts a terrible curse on poor young Princess Aurora. The hitch is that she can’t work out whether she is a vengeful Madame Lucifer or a good natured fairy godmother in a black dress and horns .As the fairy queen, she has a far purer heart than the greedy, envious humans who want to invade her moor land kingdom.
Maleficent will surely succeed at being exciting and fantasy movie, taking you down to fairy world. It will manage to take the audience to cinemas where fans can forget to the past and once again feel the charisma. You will certainly love it if you love fairy tales otherwise the sexy appearance of Angelina will do the remaining magic.
The crystal-clear images coupled with IMAX’s customized theater geometry and powerful digital audio create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.
Let’s wait what magic this movie will do & what it will earn.