Year of Release: 2019
Director: Joachim Ronning
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Harris Dickinson, Sam Riley, Robert Lindsay, Ed Skrein, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jenn Murray, Juno Temple, David Gyasi, Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton, Judith Shekoni, Miyavi
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
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Synopsis and Review:
The first "Maleficent" came out in 2014, and it was a surprise hit that year. The sequel immediately started being discussed, and the result is now out for everyone to assess. The narrative takes place after the events of the first film, with Aurora now firmly established as Queen of the Moors, attempting to maintain peace over the magical and non magical parts of her kingdom. Her suitor, Philip, proposes, much to her happiness. Upon hearing of this Maleficent, her godmother, shows apprehension but agrees to go along with a dinner invite to meet Philip's parents. Unbeknownst to any of them, Philip's mother has an agenda of her own, and has set some sinister plans in motion, with the intent to remove Maleficent, and in the process destroy all magical creatures in the kingdom. As Maleficent is attacked and recovers, she learns of others like her, and what her origins are, whereas Queen Ingrith is in full battle mode, ready to destroy everything in sight. It will take all of Maleficent's prowess and powers to detain her.
"Maleficent", which was directed by Robert Stromberg, had a screenplay by Linda Woolverton, who adapted the story from "Sleeping Beauty" by french author Charles Perrault (and these stories were themselves based on popular and rural storytelling from the 17th century). The sequel, again signed by Linda Woolverton, this time aided by Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue, follows the slim events of the first film, and decides to further establish the mythology of Maleficent as a fantastical creature. The film however, can never decide what it really wants to be: on one hand, there's the Disney enchantment aspect of it (with all the fairies, magical creatures and so on), the feministic aspect of the story (a mother learning to let go and letting her daughter make her own choices, a young woman coming of age, and even a woman making tough decisions to hold on to her semblance of power), and a magical creature of sorts understanding where she comes from. Sadly these three aspects of the story not always gel together, and while the enchantment/syrupy aspect shines through, the edgier aspects of the story, namely Michelle Pfeiffer's rough, power hungry Queen, and Angelina's Maleficent, her combustible temper and dark origins, are never truly explained or probed deeper. The screenplay sadly is where this film falters the most - Michelle Pfeiffer never truly gets a chance to show that her character is malevolent because she wants to protect her kingdom and son (instead it opts to make her a very recognizable and almost over the top villain), whereas Angelina Jolie's though creating a more nuanced and dimensional character, never gets a chance to get as dark as her character deserves to be. It's a film that ends up being fairly generic, one where the direction and point of view from Joachim Ronning is barely visible (and his strongest calling card to date was "Kon-Tiki"). The supporting cast, including Elle Fanning, Sam Riley and Chiwetel Ejiofor are solid, but have little to do, while the film itself, while looking visually fantastic, lacks substance. The costumes from Ellen Mirojnick are wonderful as is the cinematography from Henry Braham. A passable, yet forgettable entertainment.
"Maleficent", which was directed by Robert Stromberg, had a screenplay by Linda Woolverton, who adapted the story from "Sleeping Beauty" by french author Charles Perrault (and these stories were themselves based on popular and rural storytelling from the 17th century). The sequel, again signed by Linda Woolverton, this time aided by Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue, follows the slim events of the first film, and decides to further establish the mythology of Maleficent as a fantastical creature. The film however, can never decide what it really wants to be: on one hand, there's the Disney enchantment aspect of it (with all the fairies, magical creatures and so on), the feministic aspect of the story (a mother learning to let go and letting her daughter make her own choices, a young woman coming of age, and even a woman making tough decisions to hold on to her semblance of power), and a magical creature of sorts understanding where she comes from. Sadly these three aspects of the story not always gel together, and while the enchantment/syrupy aspect shines through, the edgier aspects of the story, namely Michelle Pfeiffer's rough, power hungry Queen, and Angelina's Maleficent, her combustible temper and dark origins, are never truly explained or probed deeper. The screenplay sadly is where this film falters the most - Michelle Pfeiffer never truly gets a chance to show that her character is malevolent because she wants to protect her kingdom and son (instead it opts to make her a very recognizable and almost over the top villain), whereas Angelina Jolie's though creating a more nuanced and dimensional character, never gets a chance to get as dark as her character deserves to be. It's a film that ends up being fairly generic, one where the direction and point of view from Joachim Ronning is barely visible (and his strongest calling card to date was "Kon-Tiki"). The supporting cast, including Elle Fanning, Sam Riley and Chiwetel Ejiofor are solid, but have little to do, while the film itself, while looking visually fantastic, lacks substance. The costumes from Ellen Mirojnick are wonderful as is the cinematography from Henry Braham. A passable, yet forgettable entertainment.
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