Maleficent and her goddaughter Aurora begin to question the complex family ties that bind them as they are pulled in different directions by impending nuptials, unexpected allies, and dark new forces at play.
In five short years, “Maleficent” has evolved into a fantasy of horrors that celebrates the virtues of peace and camaraderie while bringing the fairy and human worlds together. Disney has incorporated its highly successful use of incredible cinematography, compounded with oodles of magic and stark reality, to show how two entirely different groups can come together in imperfect harmony.
Angelina Jolie reprises her role as Maleficent, a beautifully wicked and overbearing Godmother who doesn’t necessarily play by the rules. When the news spreads that her goddaughter Aurora (Elle Fanning) has been asked to become the wife of Prince Phillip (Harrison Dickinson), she is immediately enraged at the idea of the couple thinking they can bring the divided worlds of the Moors and Alsteads together. The further expectation that she would accompany Aurora to the home of Phillip’s parents, King John (Robert Lindsay) and Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer), brings out the worst in her self-righteous need to protect the inhabitants of the fairy kingdom and let the evil troublemakers stick with their own kind. When Aurora begs Maleficent to agree to the meeting, she is unaware that Queen Ingrith has her own evil agenda and the tide quickly turns at the dinner table when Queen Ingrith tries to put Maleficent’s past on blast and get her own goddaughter to turn against her. Not to have her kindness taken as weakness, Maleficent is forced to use her magical powers to turn the castle upside down and retreat back to the dark kingdom that she is accustomed to. While it appears that the wedding may be off, the plot begins to thicken when Queen Ingrith convinces everyone that Maleficent is the real enemy and that they should continue with the wedding as planned and she could take Maleficent’s place and become the mom that Aurora never had. The direction of the movie quickly changes from petty bickering to all-out war with the realization that Queen Ingrith’s emotional and abusive past has lead to a lifetime of regret that forces her to make enemies of everyone, including her own husband and son. With the same intense scrutiny, Maleficent is sent on a mission to discover who she really is as she learns that she is a part of a group called “Dark Fae” which exists virtually underworld due to societal biases. In the end, the fairies and the humans declare war on one another and when there is little left on either side to destroy, the Phoenix has to arise in order to bring the communities together once and for all.
Director Joachim Ronning did an excellent job of tempering humans and fairies in a way in which all ages can relate. The politically indoctrinated plot that seems to go nowhere and everywhere at the same time, gives pause to celebrate diversity and inclusion on several levels. The beauty of the fairy lands and the humor of the fairy aunts and superhuman creatures brought light to sometimes heavily dispersed human subject matter of war, love, loyalty, and loss. For loads of adventure, lots of action, and true-to-life relationship woes, it is definitely worth the price of admission.
Now available on Digital and Movies Anywhere and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ and DVD January 14th
