#MovieMonday: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Review: Only Watch If You’re a Fantasy Fan

By
George Yang
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In recent years, live-action retelling of animated classics has become as popular as superhero movies.

We’ve Simba turning from a 2D lion to an adorable big and furry cat, we’ve got Mulan who’s now Liu Yifei and back in 2014, we’ve got Maleficent, a classic character from Sleeping Beauty who’s played by Angelina Jolie, who also happens to breathe life into Lara Croft, a franchise that’s adapted from a video game.

Lest you’re not aware, Maleficent is a dark fairy, and depending on how you see her, she’s either a villain or a hero. A Disney character that wasn’t well-known back then, the fairy was propelled into international stardom in 2014, when a film dedicated just for the character was released.

Back then, reviews were mixed but it earned enough for a sequel; the film cost USD$263 million to make and earned over USD$758 million. Unlike another Disney’s cult hit Frozen, the film was soon forgotten until this month, when the sequel dropped.

Called  Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, the role is reprised by the 44-year-old Angelina Jolie, who was praised for her acting in the first film.

So, given that there are not many new movies in threatres now, should you bring your Tinder date to this movie tonight?

Well, it depends on whether he or she is a fantasy fan.

Online Reviews

Before anything, here’s what you need to know: you do not need to watch the first film to understand Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. While it helps, it’s a different story altogether with the same characters, and the movie does a good job of separating the two movies for new viewers.

Here’s the trailer for you to make an initial judgment:

And here’s the synopsis, which doesn’t say much…but actually says everything:

Maleficent encounters a conniving queen who hatches a devious plot to destroy the land’s fairies. Hoping to stop her, Maleficent joins forces with a seasoned warrior and a group of outcasts to battle the queen and her powerful army.

Just like the first movie, the reviews are rather mixed:

Directed by the co-director of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, the film has big shoes to fill.

Would it suffer the sequel-curse, or would it begin a Maleficent franchise?

Let’s find out.

Good Acting, Meh Plot, “Unpopular” Setting

With Angeline Jolie taking the front seat in this film, there’s no doubt that the talented actress can bring life to her character easily. Her CG-faced (I think so?) could tell a story with an expression, and with her acting chops, Maleficent becomes a character that’ll scare young kids with a stare.

Unfortunately, Maleficent feels like Usalt Bolt running in a competition while being weighed down by many ankle weights; the dark character could have shone with Angeline Jolie’s expressive movements, but those wings made her smaller. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like there’s a lot of potential for the ex-wife of Brad Pitt to harvest.

Nevertheless, the other actors also managed to carry their characters’ emotions effectively, and that’s a joy to watch.

But…every other aspects failed.

The plot is messy: it feels like the writers have written a 6-part series and had to squeeze everything into a 118-minute movie. And as a fantasy movie, anything is possible and the writers overused the poetic licence bestowed to them, going all out and turning whatever characters they want into superbeings.

The visuals are beautiful, though we all know it’s all make-believe. What’s the point of showing a CG castle cinematically when we all know we can’t do an OOTD there?

And lastly, the fantasy settings definitely don’t appeal to me.

Characters becoming superbeings are fine since Marvel superheroes are way too powerful too, but watching a fantasy movie nowadays has suddenly become…daunting.

When I was a boy, reading fantasy books was my go-to, but now, when cars can drive by themselves and Facebook knows more about me than myself, there seems to be a distinct disconnect between me and the film.

Fairies? Kingdoms? Magic?

Flying with wings instead of drones?

This is definitely subjective, but given that there’s not been many fantasy movies in theatres (and not even on TV / Netflix), I believe I’m not the only one who feels this way.

So, does it warrant a watch?

As a sci-fi fan, I won’t recommend wasting your money on this film. But if you like fantasy settings, then it’s a different story altogether.

Rating:
2/5
3.5/5 (if you’re a fantasy fan)

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George Yang
Email: [email protected]