Maleficent

This review may contain spoilers.

Hell hath no fury like a fairy scorned it would seem. I would give Maleficent a 6.5/10.

Maleficent was a very well paced film, it had a story that progressed in a good format. The effects were sepctacular, the way they created these fairytale settings was no small feat. In fact my favourite moment of the film was an effects shot of Maleficent dragging Stefan behind her as she crashes through a stain glass window all captured in slow motion. I also really enjoyed the music that went with the film, it was an incredible call back to the original Sleeping Beauty. I also loved how the film had such a strong focus on a maternal relationship, something that doesn't have a very strong presence in the Hollywood film industry.

Elle Fanning, who played Aurora, was a brilliant choice, she had the charisma of a Disney princess and she was a very sweet and lovely character which made her so easy to enjoy. Sharlto Copley, who played Stefan, was a mixed performance as he did not play a very convincing lovestruck character, however when it came to showing his spiral into madness and despair he was brilliant and really turned his performance around.

I think Angelina Jolie was born to play Maleficent, there was nothing as strong as her battle between her inner hatred and love for the human characters. Her motherly moments were very genuine, no doubt aided by Jolie's personal experience. But her scorn and tragedy were what really made her stand apart in this film.

This film's writer needs a serious wake up call, there was no way that qualified as a good script. The plot lacked detail, it never focussed on an event but rather kept adding the next part of the story without ever really creating depth. The lines were also very poor, the final line spoken between Stefan and Maleficent was like the ending of a teen romance film.

Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton and Juno Temple, who played Flittle, Knotgrass and Thistlewit, were nothing short of comic relief and had very little to add to the story. Sam Riley, who played Diaval, was a character that confused me and basically seemed to be nothing more than a weak effort to give Maleficent a conscience the audience could hear. Brenton Thwaites, who played Prince Phillip, was one of the weakest characters I've ever seen, his appearance was ridiculous and he did not seem to be someone suited for the fantasy genre.