Reviewed by Victor Rebikoff.
Director: Robert Stromberg, Walt Disney Pictures, M, 97 Minutes.
The traditional story of Sleeping Beauty has been spectacularly rewritten in Disney’s fabulous, fantasy-filled fable of a scorned fairy queen who seeks revenge against a king who betrayed her by cursing his baby daughter.
The marvellous Angelina Jolie (‘The Tourist’) plays the title character in this entertaining movie with her fantastic pair of wings, goat-like horns and stand-out cheekbones.
The movie opens with a young Maleficent shown caring for the fairies in her kingdom when she unexpectedly comes across a peasant boy called Stefan, forming a close relationship and falling in love with him.
Having been given the opportunity to become king, the adult Stefan (Sharlto Copley – ‘District 9’) wastes little time in betraying Maleficent in the cruellest way possible which in turn sets her off on a path of vindictiveness.
Following the birth of King Stefan’s daughter, the uninvited fairy queen (superbly attired in her black robe) attends the glittering christening ceremony where she subsequently issues a curse against the baby princess Aurora.
To ensure Aurora avoids the curse Stefan sends her into the forest under the care of three friendly fairies, Flittle (Lesley Manville), Knotgrass (Imelda Staunton) and Thistletwit (Juno Temple), where she remains until her sixteenth birthday.
As Aurora (Elle Fanning – ‘Super 8’) grows into a beautiful young woman she develops a special fondness towards Maleficent and her unusual accomplice Diaval (Sam Riley – ‘Byzantium’) until the truth is revealed to her.
This propels the malicious Maleficent to find a solution to Aurora’s impending curse, using her powers to stop an invading army from destroying the fairies’ forest and then preventing Stefan from having her be captured.
Making his directorial debut is Oscar-winning visual effects guru Robert Stromberg (‘Alice in Wonderland’), providing some stunning special effects in addition to the series of exciting action scenes and ensuring the entertainment value of this fairy-tale is considerably enhanced.
Apart from Fanning’s pleasing portrayal of princess Aurora the movie’s principal highlight is of course Jolie’s performance who is magnificent as Maleficent.
Maleficent is to be televised on 7 FLIX at 6.30pm on Friday 9 July 2021.
Vic’s Verdict: 3 ½ Stars
