Maleficent: Review
A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land’s fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal – an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces a battle with the invading king’s successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom – and perhaps to Maleficent’s true happiness as well.
If you told me 10 years ago that they would be making a Disney film about the origins of the villain from Sleeping Beauty I wouldn’t have believed you and then for her to be played Angelina Jolie, I really would’ve thought you were nuts. As it became a reality the biggest question that I kept asking was how they were going to pull this off and surprisingly enough they did it awesomely. The way they showed her as a young fairy definitely had me intrigued immediately and I knew right away how they were going to do this and that it was going to actually work. Isobelle Molloy was phenomenal as Young Maleficent! She showed the innocent and softer side to the character that no one ever knew of. The moment Jolie appeared on the screen I got a bit of a chill. Not because she was scary looking or anything like that but because of how perfect she was for this role. You know how you see an actor/actress in a role and you automatically associate that person with the character. Well this was another example of just that. She embodied everything there was about the character and look absolutely stunning doing it. Everything about her was graceful, from the way walked to the way she conducted herself as she spoke. Sharlto Copley is such a great antagonist in the film. Throughout the film you see him basically transform from a young boy to a man willing to do anything to capture the throne to a paranoid and angry king. The journey that we are shown with his character is amazing and shows just how dark he can go as an actor. I can honestly say that he has to be one of my favorites for sure. The story wasn’t what I expected it was going to be initially and proved to be such a beautiful story of a betrayed woman that sets out on a journey of revenge but then realizes that she doesn’t entirely have it in her to be evil. For it being a Disney film it was pretty dark in tone but I really couldn’t see it being done in any other way once I thought about it. I don’t comment too much on character design or costumes but they were simply so gorgeous that I can’t ignore it. The way Maleficent was created was so engaging and alluring that the first time she spread her wings my eyes opened so wide and I loved it so much. That doesn’t just go for the main character but ALL of the characters. Their look and costumes are really what made me become emotionally invested in the movie and the story itself. This is one movie that no one will want to miss. It will surprise you, it will make you smile and most of all it will make you root for a person that people always thought was a villain. Go see Maleficent!
