Maleficent is a fictional character from Walt Disney’s 1959 film Sleeping Beauty. The film, Maleficent, is formed in this old story from the perspective of the evil mistress. The main actor is seen stunning Angelina Jolie, who plays perfectly Maleficent. The film was released in the United States on May 30, 2014 and here in Finland on May 28, 2014. And it was directed by Robert Stromberg who has won two Oscars in film production design and for example he has staged a movie Avatar and Alice in Wonderland.
Maleficent is a powerful fairy who lives in the Moors, a magical forest realm bordering a corrupt human kingdom. As a young girl, she meets and falls in love with a human orphan boy Stefan. When the boy grows, he became familiar with the king and didn’t spend more time with Maleficent. The king was afraid of Maleficent because her great power and he wants to Maleficent’s death. When Stefan finally comes to meet powerful fairy he stuns her to get her strong wings so that he could become the king. When Stefan has crowned to king, he gets a baby girl, Sleeping Beauty, together with his wife. Maleficent is still angry about her wings and curses Stefan’s little baby eternal sleep when she turns sixteen years. Only the true love’s kiss can broke this curse. The princess grows and Maleficent learns to love her. She wants to broke the curse but she can’t. When the Sleeping beauty fall asleep to an eternal sleep, the prince tries to wake her up with a kiss, without success. Only when Maleficent kisses the girl, she wakes up. The princess crowned to queen of human kingdom together with the Moors and peace and balance is achieved between empires.
In my opinion this version of the Sleeping beauty is more interesting than original. It doesn’t follow the same boring schema and it’s refreshing to hear for once the “bad guy’s” point of view to the story. For once we get some information about background why the bad guys become the bad guy. And in the end you find out that an evil Maleficent has just the broken heart and she is after all the “good guy”.
This film has attracted a lot of opinions, especially because it change so much the original version. But many critics have praised the film’s visuals and costumes. And I really can sign it! Animation is done carefully, and especially The Moors looks breathtakingly beautiful. And I have to say that Angelina Jolie has a lot of effect why this film is so awesome. Maleficent’s costume is made wonderfully and it looks real. Jolie’s gesturing and facial expressions crowns the whole movie and I can promise to you that the song “Once Upon a Dream”, which found in movie’s soundtrack, will be playing in your head for rest of the day.