This Disney retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story from the viewpoint of the eponymous villainess Maleficent is about to leave theaters and make its way to DVD rentals and premium movie channels. The DrsC only saw it this afternoon; as rural residents we don't get to a theater often.
The question I had, going in, was whether Angelina Jolie as Maleficent could top the beautifully evil performance Charlize Theron gave in a similar role in Snow White and the Huntsman. The answer is no, although Jolie does a fine job.
Spoiler alert. Jolie wants to have it both ways, be both the film's villain and hero. Asking the audience to follow her in both directions is a bit much. Theron plays a straight-out villain, bad to the bone, easier to deliver and more believable.
That said, there is much to like about Maleficent, the film. Disney makes it beautiful, dreamlike and totally pleasant to watch. The story line holds together most of the time, the supporting cast does good work, Dakota Fanning's kid sister Elle makes the Princess Aurora character charming, Sam Riley plays Maleficent's sidekick Diaval and creates an interesting character, and the three women who play the pixies who raise the Princess are fun to watch.
Be clear, it's Jolie's film. The horns apparently growing from her head resemble those of the greater kudu or perhaps the blackbuck. Her wings could grace the shoulders of a condor. Makeup gives her, I believe intentionally, a not-quite-human appearance with exaggerated cheekbones and yellowish eyes. She has presence.
The film has no sex, no swearing, and the violence is sufficiently make-believe to not traumatize the tender-hearted. You can safely show it to your children or your maiden aunt. We enjoyed Maleficent, it was a pleasant afternoon.
