Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil

STORY: When princess Aurora decides to marry the charming young prince Philip, she unknowingly puts her fairy godmother Maleficent and her kingdom in harm’s way. Can Maleficent save herself and the moors?

REVIEW: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is an extension of many a fairy tale that we have grown up reading and also its 2014 original. Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning) is now ruling the moors, thanks to the powers bestowed upon her by Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) herself. But Aurora’s love for Prince Philip (Henry Dickinson) sets off a chain of events leading to the fatal confrontation between the fairy folk inhabitants of the moors and the humans. At stake are kingdoms and lives. It’s a fairly simple narrative of the good versus evil that director Joachim Rønning smartly exploits with decent performances and world-class animation. From the mysterious deep forests of the moors to its fascinating creatures and from the awe-inspiring castles to the spooky props, everything feels real. One does get transported to the elaborate world of Maleficent that has enough matter to keep you entertained. The film’s leading lady Angelina Jolie continues to look exactly how she did in the original, five years ago. Jolie’s imposing screen presence is accentuated by her lissome figure, porcelain skin, extravagant costumes and those (artificially created) sharp cheekbones with eyes lit like balls of fire. With her black horns and wide wings firmly in place, she looks every bit the beautiful devil, but with a heart. Her perfect expressions and restrained performance is just enough to make her character believable despite the loud get-up. We wish Jolie had a lot more screen time than the rest of the cast among whom only Michelle Pfeiffer gives a befitting performance as the strong headed Queen Ingrith. Pfeiffer portrays the role with authority and aplomb. Elle Fanning is one of the weak links – mostly due to her helpless character and average performance. But Maleficent makes up for many of its other weaknesses (read predictable story, too many characters) with its extraordinary visual appeal. The film never feels long and keeps you invested with a simple yet engaging narrative that culminates in a spectacularly action-packed climax. Even if you haven’t caught the original, the sequel is enjoyable on its own.

With widespread death and destruction, this fairytale costume drama is by no means a child’s play. However, it has enough live-action magic to bring the big screen alive.