Justin, Mike, and I saw Maleficent on June 1, 2014!! I was very impressed with the movie overall. Maleficent has always been one of my all time favorite characters. When I was younger, I loved the look of the character. As I grew up, I always was on her side because all she wanted to do was an invitation to a christening. I never saw her as a villain, just like I'll never see the Wicked Witch of the West as a villain. I have to say with shows and books like Wicked, Fairest of All:: A Tale of the Wicked Queen (great read), and Once Upon A Time, characters I've always believed to be the real protagonists are finally being portrayed in that light. If there was ever a movie where somebody completely steals the show, then this is an example of it.
Angelina Jolie was flawless as Maleficent. The look of the character was amazing-costuming, make-up, etc. Jolie's voice was on point-it matched up so well to Eleanor Audley's voiceover in 1959's Sleeping Beauty. We follow her journey from when she was a child into the iconic character we know her as. We see her role as a fairy, as well as a protector of kingdoms. This portrays the human species as greedy for power as well as the savagery of war. I've never liked the character of King Stefan, and this further proves that point even more. I thought Sharlto Copely did a very good job in the role, but I thought it was great seeing how he rose to power through underhanded tactics. Stefan is the true antagonist of the movie.
I liked that many of the iconic Sleeping Beauty scenes were presented-the christening, the cottage scenes, the spinning wheel, etc. They were all represented very well. I think Elle Fanning did a wonderful job as Aurora as well. It was great seeing the bond between Maleficent and her throughout the movie. She basically is there for her from birth. Those three bumbling idiot fairies (who I've always loathed) had nothing to do with her survival. They just gravitate to whoever has the most power, and really have no minds of their own.
We see the pain in Maleficent's eyes from betrayal, her actions at the christening, and her dedication to repairing any damage she may cause. I thought it was incredible to watch the character as somewhat of an anti-hero. She had elements of both, but definitely is a protagonist overall (as she always has been in my eyes).
While the movie presented us with many of the iconic moments from 1959's Sleeping Beauty, they also put some twists that made sense with the storyline. I really liked what they did with true love's kiss. It made alot of sense to go down that road with the way events unfolded. Other good twists revolved around the character of Diaval. It was great to see the origins of the character and why he was with Maleficent. Sam Riley did really well with it.
Of course, besides the mesmerizing performance by Jolie, the visuals were absolutely incredible. The battle scenes were so incredible to watch. You were really drawn into the movie as this happened. The magic visuals were bright and vivid. I loved the emerald green glow throughout mixing with the black. I also felt the night time sets were really beautiful. It reminded me of Pandora in Avatar. The battle between Maleficent & Stefan was really well done blending effects & emotion. The audience was into everything happening. I give the movie a 4/5-I thought it was a really well done live action movie with an excellent lead performance, phenomenal visuals, and pretty good supporting role. It was great to watch one of my favorite characters in a protagonist light.
Keep your eyes open to the young Aurora scene-its really cute to watch Angelina Jolie interact with her real life daughter. She goes up to her and hugs her in one of the forest scenes.
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