Maleficent - Analysis and Review

Not as bad as you think

By that I mean the character of Maleficent is not as bad as you think. This film is about showing the other side of the classic Disney Film, Sleeping Beauty, and a passion project of Angelina Jolie. This year will see the fruition of two passion projects, with the second one being Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Hercules. It is the beginning of a trend that is starting to take hold by showing the origin story of the villain rather than the hero. While Sony Pictures wish to take that a step further with their Spider-Man universe, this is the first film since the Star Wars prequels that really pegs the question: Can we root of the bad guy?

The Plot

Maleficent, a demonic looking kind hearted fairy, becomes the victim of one man's greed. A man she once thought loved her, but that isn't so. This changes her from the guardian of the fairies to their oppressor who sinks to wield her abilities against the man who betrayed her. That man had since become a king and sired a princess to whom Maleficent places a curse of "sleeping death," upon her once she turns 16. The tale is not the same as one knows.

Analysis

We live in an age of complexity. We require our heroes to be complex and our villains to be even more complex...er. These are qualities that we all love for in dramas or action films and even the superhero genre. Good has to be explained and evil has to be explained. But is that really the case? There is something terrifying about evil we don't understand. Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight was the embodiment of evil and chaos who gives a different origin for himself every time he decides to talk about his life. Given that he's never telling the truth, there is no clear point of origin for this character, and his madness just gets amplified. Even the police couldn't find out where he comes from. He just came into existent. He just is evil. Tim Curry's Darkness in Legend is not only the greatest interpretation of the devil ever put on screen but a being who is literally reveling in operatic evil. He is the way a fairy tale villain should be: unquestionably evil. For my thoughts on the matter of Fairy Tale films click here. 

Those villains benefited a lot from knowing little about them. Which makes them terrifying and almost unpredictable. But then you have a case like Darth Vader, arguably one of the greatest villains (and now a new Disney villain) ever put on film. In the original film, he made his entrance and already for some inexplicable reason you know he's evil. However with the events of Return of the Jedi and what was shown in the prequel trilogy, he may not be as cool or as evil as we once believed. While it works for the overall story arc, it does diminish his character as we originally view it instead of adding to it.

That's where Jolie's Maleficent comes in.

Review

I'll just get this out of the way and say this: Angeline Jolie IS Maleficent! There is literally no one who can play her. Not even that actress from Once Upon A Time could match up what Angelina has done. Yes, I know the Maleficent in Once Upon a Time is a different take on the character. At least that one turns into a dragon...spoilers. But despite that one problem that I had about her, Angelina is just mesmerizing as the demonic fairy who turns into the embodiment of evil. She makes it all seem easy when in truth it is difficult to pull off a character like that without the presence that she brings. 

District 9's Sharlto Copley plays King Stefan, the father of Princess Aurora aka Sleeping Beauty and the man responsible for turning Maleficent into a monster. Unlike his cartoon evil villain in Elysium, his portrayal of the guilt ridden king who slowly descends into madness even more horrifying than the evil that Maleficent has sunk to is truly amazing. You really believe that this guy is losing his mind out of fear and paranoia of losing his daughter but also from the guilt of knowing he's responsible. Is his madness really justified? I guess, but it looks like he descent way over the edge for the sake of giving the film a more horrifying antagonist due to the sympathetic nature of Maleficent in this film.

I can't really speak much for the rest of the cast. Though I have to say, the three pixies taking care of Princess Aurora. annoyed the hell out of me. I didn't like their CGI characters, and I did not like the performances. They're idiots because they have to be idiots so that it forces Maleficent to care for Princess Aurora. I know this story is suppose to be about making Maleficent look good, but making the pixies complete idiots was a little bit too much. Its a shame that such talented actresses (Imelda Staunton, Lesley Manville, and Juno Temple) were reduced to those roles. 

Elle Fanning as Princess Aurora was...memorable. Memorable in a sense that you're trying to remember just exactly how long one person can stay smiling through a whole movie. She didn't really had much to do except be really really happy. Though I blame the pixie magic that ensured that she will never be sad. But then there is the part of Prince Phillip played by Brenton Thwaites. The heroic prince who battles Maleficent in the animated movie is reduced to a glorified cameo in this movie. He serves the plot just to have a love interest right when they need him the most. 

It's not like the supporting cast was bad. They were good with what they're given. They were just given terrible roles. 

And the story. It would be really compelling if the storybook narration only stayed at the beginning and end of the film, instead of coming in every now and then to the point where it seems like we need to be walked through what is going on instead of just letting the viewer figure some things out. Plus there's something that happens at the end that just makes me quickly think if Disney has some hidden agenda in promoting a certain message. The reason why I say that is because it has been used in another popular Disney film this year. It works well one time. It might even work well in a couple years. But in one year almost consecutively. No. And to think this was written by the screenwriter of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. That makes me even more sad about this tale.

Final Thoughts

The reason why I put Angelina front and center is because she saves this movie. You're drawn into her performance despite the movie not being anything worthy of such a performance. Only Maleficent and King Stefan were developed while the others were just window dressing. All I can say is that I now understand how the people who hate Man of Steel feel. Because like that film, this film will be loved by some and hated by others. I don't hate it, and I praise Angelina. But unless someone asks me too, I don't plan on seeing this again. 

SCORE: 6.7/10 - A powerful performance by Angelina Jolie saves the film