Angelina Jolie carries this re-visited Disney classic. She is the flying buttress that supports the old story told anew, as commanding as the nuclear green energy she emits into the stratosphere and as striking as any original drawing may have been.
While the famous curse scene is as honest an homage as it could be to the original animation, Maleficent draws upon the backstory of the supposedly evil villain from Sleeping Beauty. A woman mistreated and exacting her revenge, Jolie's powerfully haunting portrayal complete with clipped British accent sees her excel as both villain and hero as she works through heartbreak, sorrow and anger, emerging with a strange maternal longing and deep regret for the child she wronged.
Set against preternaturally stunning fairytale landscapes, she is accompanied by actors who aren’t nearly as memorable as the fantastical CGI creatures – twinkling, flitting elves, fairies, water sprites and sweet round-bellied swamp monsters. In due course, Maleficent’s lust for revenge turns to indifference, then sorrow. But, much to her horror, she cannot revoke the curse and by the time she realises her actions are unforgivable it seems to be too late. In an ending that echoes the sentiments of Disney’s Frozen, the twist in the tale is a welcome one. However some of the scenes are too disturbing to make this a kids film for that kind of age group – judging by the ass-kicking she delivers at the end, it’s more like Lara Croft Tomb Raider does Disney, making this a pre-teen action fairytale.
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