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Maleficent
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Maleficent
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- 2014
- Robert Stromberg
- 93 mins
- PG
Summary
A re-imagining of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, told from the perspective of its villain, played by Angelina Jolie. When her childhood sweetheart, Stefan, betrays her in order to claim the crown of a neighbouring kingdom, Maleficent the fairy swears she will have revenge. She gets her chance when Stefan has a daughter named Aurora, and Maleficent curses the infant to fall into an eternal sleep on her 16th birthday.
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Review
A star rating of 3 out of 5.
Jamie Healy
One of Disney's most memorable villains gets to tell her side of the story of Sleeping Beauty in this enjoyable reworking of the fairy tale. Angelina Jolie stars as Maleficent, the protector of the fairy realm, who is betrayed by her childhood sweetheart, Stefan (Sharlto Copley), and takes her revenge by cursing his first-born child, Aurora. But in this version of events, Maleficent increasingly finds her resolve weakening as she plays surrogate mother to the girl, which adds a further touch of foreboding as that fateful appointment with a spinning wheel draws closer. Jolie is the undoubted star of the show: clad in black with chiselled cheekbones, devilish horns and blood-red lipstick, she's both sinister and alluring, and brings a delectable wit to the scenes with her shape-shifting henchman, played by Sam Riley. Sadly, some of the other characters fare less well, with Copley a vengeful king riddled with inconsistencies, Elle Fanning a vacuous if winsome Aurora, and the slapstick comic relief of Imelda Staunton and her fairy helpers falling flat. First-time director Robert Stromberg has enjoyed a long and successful career in visual effects and production design, and it's these elements that work best, with plenty of magical moments and Lord of the Rings-style battles to savour. Maleficent may not leave you spellbound, but there's plenty here to enchant and entertain.
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6.9/10
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Credits
Cast
rolenameMaleficentAngelina JolieStefanSharlto CopleyAuroraElle FanningDiavalSam RileyKnotgrassImelda StauntonThistlewitJuno TempleFlittleLesley ManvilleKing HenryKenneth CranhamPrince PhillipBrenton ThwaitesTeenage MaleficentElla PurnellYoung MalificentIsobelle Molloy
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Crew
rolenameDirectorRobert Stromberg
Details
Theatrical distributor
Disney
Released on
2014-05-23
Languages
English
Available on
DVD and Blu-ray
Formats
Colour
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