Maleficent
2014  PG  FANTASY  1h 37min
CAST— Angelina Jolie, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, Lesley Manville
MUSIC— James Newton Howard  DIRECTOR— Robert Stromberg

     Think you know the story of Sleeping Beauty? Guess again. As it turns out the malevolent villainess of the tale is actually the misunderstood hero. Maleficent was a fairy, betrayed by her long lost human love. As he ascended to the throne of the kingdom of men, she became the dark ruler of the land of magic. When the human king and queen bear a daughter Maleficent places a spiteful curse on her, cursing her to a death-like sleep when the girl turns sweet sixteen; only true love’s kiss may break the spell. But through the years Maleficent takes a grudging interest in young Aurora, becoming something of a guardian to her, eventually regretting the evil spell she had uttered. Meanwhile, the years have not been kind to the king; madness and paranoia have crept into his heart, so that his every thought and action is devoted to destroying his former love. As Aurora’s sixteenth approaches the devastating curse encroaches, and Maleficent uses all her power to fight the curse (and eventually the king, in a thrilling action-packed finale). Angelina Jolie is perfectly cast as our villainous heroine, handing in a deliciously wicked (though not unsympathetic) performance as only she can. A surprising amount of action (not to mention Jolie) may attract the masculine, while the feminine may fall for the fairy tale-like atmosphere (though the thoroughly artificial fairy tale-like creatures fail to impress). All in all a Disney-fied surprise, compelling and fun from the get go. A treat.
OUR RATING— ***