Genre: Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Director: Robert Stromberg
Actors: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley
No need to mention how
“hot” this movie has been these days. But it’s also important to remember that
not every hit-supposed-to-be lives up to our expectation. Fortunately, this one
does.
Personally, watching Maleficent is like watching “Once Upon A Time: The Movie” starring
Angelina Jolie. That is to say, if you are an avid fan of OUAT, you’ll probably find Maleficent
agreeable. To those who love fantasy type, what’s icing on the cake is the fact
that the film is produced by Walt Disney. I’ve heard many comments saying that Maleficent is somewhat like Frozen in terms of plot. If you say it’s
so cliché-ridden, think again. No two movies are identical and all the more not
the case of Maleficent. You can
verify this statement by yourself ;)
The portrayal of
Maleficent (the character) is just amazing: high cheek bones, deep-set eyes, full
red lips, enigmatic smile, somewhat charming, somewhat intimidating, an air of
mystery. That role seems to be made for Angie only. She IS Maleficent. And the
most remarkable part in building such a character is her outfit. The unique
dress that Maleficent put on is very close to that of the original character in Sleeping Beauty and is truly impressive. As for characteristic, Maleficent is
a typical example of two sides of a human. She is both evil and heroic. As the
narrator concludes, such person turns out to be the one to unite two enemies.
I am particularly
interested in talking about the characters in this movie. From my perspective,
there are three principal relationships, all of which center around
Maleficent.
1) Maleficent - Stefan
This best illustrates the
sheer border between friend and foe. Two little friends used to have a
beautiful friendship, which could have evolved into love, but time separated
them, personal motives pushed them even farther and finally, betrayal turned
into hatred and drove them crazy about vengeance. I don’t know why but I am so
obsessed with fruitless love affair, so I noticed the sour face expression of
Maleficent on hearing the news about King Stefan’s first-born child as well as the
tears welling up in her eyes. It is also heartbreaking to see both people
confess that they never believed in true love (or have they lost faith in such
thing?)
2) Maleficent - Aurora
We expect this
relationship to be the hardest conflict. Everything proved so for the first 30
minutes of the movie, until the little princess was brought to the forest under
the care of three clumsy quarrelsome Fairy-Godmothers. Seeing Aurora growing
up, Maleficent was gradually moved by the girl’s innocence. Remembering the
scene where Maleficent tried to break the curse that had been casted by herself
on Aurora really warms my heart. I also enjoy the part when Beastie asked to move in with
Maleficent. The peak of this unconditional love is the act of valor by
Maleficent to come rescue Aurora from the deadly curse. In response, Aurora
released the wings and helped Maleficent regain her full power amid the fight
against Stefan.
3) Maleficent - Diaval
To my mind, Diaval is the
most adorable character in this movie. He acts as a loyal servant, a great
companion and wings as Maleficent
said. He has been transformed completely into human rather than being a crow in
human appearance because he has feelings and emotions, sympathy and
understanding. This funny character reminds me of Sancho Panza, who, together
with Don Quixote, make the most original company in classic literature.
