AVAILABLE ON 3D BLU-RAY, BLU RAY™ & DVD 20th October 2014
Director: Robert Stromberg
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple
Certificate: PG
Running Time: 97 minutes
Extras: From Fairy Tale to Feature Film, Building an Epic Battle, Aurora: Becoming A Beauty, Classic Couture, Maleficent Revealed.
Disney’s MALEFICENT heads out with the intention of a fresh angle on a classic story but where the beauty of possibility is endless, the final result is disappointingly underwhelming.
We initially follow the young life of Maleficent, as she grows up in a tranquil forest kingdom but one day an invading Scottish army of some kind – I think that’s the accent they’re going for – tries to steal the land and break the harmony. As time goes by, our Maleficent becomes the protector of her realm but then suffers a ruthless, somewhat horrific, act of betrayal and it turns her heart to darker ways and encased by the need for revenge.
The story then follows her fight with the king (with whom she has that payback connection) of the people trying to invade, and her infamous ‘sleeping beauty’ curse upon his new born child, Aurora – played by Elle Fanning. But as the young child grows, Maleficent realises that she may have made the wrong choice and has a decision to make.
The seriously sharp-cheekbones of Angelina Jolie is the key to everything positive in MALEFICENT and there’s not an ounce of doubt regarding her presence. I’d be happy to watch her character seek retribution across the cosmos as it’s a classic performance, full of the unknown and wonderment. Her brooding, deathly intoxicated Maleficent, consumed by power and loss is effortless and a true beauty to behold.
While Sharlto Copley hams it up as the eventual baddie, with an odd accent, Aurora is played at a younger age by young Pitt-Jolie. As she hits 16 and the curse becomes real in the narrative, we’ve got the gloriously talented Elle Fanning taking on the role. Her belief in all things wonderful feels a little empty but Fanning makes it her own with another solid performance. The only downside to her existence is the over-acting 3 fairy godmothers and a wooden addition of a young ‘prince’ who they’ll hope will be the ‘true love’ to wake her, the latter is particularly lacking in purpose and feels a little pushed into the story.
Despite the fantasy setting, MALEFICENT is too often let down by the CGI side of proceedings, with an overkill that breaks the imaginary connection and serves to remind us it’s all fake. Whether this is noticeable to a younger audience is debatable but much like Tim Burton’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND, the weird nature of some created faces means you lose the escapism and you’re not sure if the film wants to be human or fictional.
There’s another issue here as well, because where FROZEN did the reverse relationship with utter brilliance and surprise, the film is somewhat devoid of relatable emotion and suffers from being neither too light nor too evil. It therefore may appeal to a younger visual audience but lacks in punch for the older viewer. Despite a powerhouse performance from Jolie in the lead role, the film misses the mark and ends up being more frustrating than exciting escapism.
[usr=2] MALEFICENT is available on 3D BLU-RAY, BLU RAY™ & DVD 20th October 2014.
© 2014 Disney
