Fantasy/ Action Directed by Joachim Rønning Written by Linda Woolverton, Micah Fitzerman-Blue, and Noah Harpster. A sequel to Maleficent (2014). Both movies are based on the story of Sleeping Beauty, focusing on the evil witch. LOTS OF SPOILERS FOR BOTH MOVIES (sorry, I couldn’t help it) If you haven’t watched the first one, stop right here and go watch it. It’s amazing. People laugh, but I’m serious about watching and reading stuff in order! I think it matters. I loved this movie, and as soon as it ended I thought I was ready to write a review. But, it’s taken me a while to finish it because I haven’t quite figured out how to explain why I love both Maleficent movies so much. I wanted to do them justice. IThey are fun, action-packed movie that ended up holding a deeper message than I was able to explore all at one. The sequel did not disappoint. SummariesMalificent (2014) The first movie shows a cheerful, kind young woman with big, powerful, and beautiful wings and magical powers. She was a fae named Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) who lived among a other fae in the Moors, a magical forest. One day, a human man named Stefan (Sharlto Copley) discovered the forest and met Maleficent. They fell in love. Then, humans begin attacking Maleficent and the Moors. She doesn’t want to hurt anyone, but must protect her kingdom and the fae. Humans see her self-defense as an act of war, as aggressive. The king offers his throne and the hand of his daughter to anyone who could cut off the wings of Maleficent and bring them to him. Stefan was a poor peasant and his greed and stupidity were stronger than his love and humanity. He visited Maleficent as though everything was normal and lovely. He cut off her wings in her sleep and took them.
Malifacent: the Mistress of Evil (2019) In the second movie, Aurora , Princess of the Moors,-who grew to become like a daughter to Maleficent in the first movie- is marrying Prince Phillip (Brenton Thwaites in first movie, then Harris Dickinson) and they hope to reign over both the human kingdom and the Moors. Of course, things do not go as planned. The story paints a vivid picture of how dangerous lies can be and how easily they can spread. My ThoughtsThis was a great sequel and a great movie. It followed the story appropriately, i.e. it made sense both chronologically and the characters were consistent, but it still stood on its own. It felt different from the first movie in the best way. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Visual Effects The visual effects were breathtaking. All of it: the costumes, the set design, the CGIs, the stunts and the world-building overall were all incredible. I felt like I was there. Characters I have a range of opinions about the characters. I was impressed by the villain, Queen Ingris (Michelle Pfeiffer). She had a backstory (mentioned briefly, but solid) and a strong motive to do what she did. Also? She was smart. She didn’t get so far with her plan by sheer luck (that drives me crazy). She started a real, full-on war all by herself without anyone realizing that she was doing it. Talk about manipulative. Not only was she smart and manipulative, she was crazy evil. She hurt people in her own kingdom and fae alike without regret or empathy and proved to be ruthless. All of that is why I hated the ending she got. I feel like the writers failed her. When they could have done anything with the ending, they tried to make it funny. I’m not saying she should have been killed, but there’s a moment when she falls facedown in the dirt and looks up like a pissy girl at a party in a comedy (or something) when she stood up. It was an injustice to her character and diluted her power. Overall, the ending was pretty great, but there were parts specific to her ending that were flat out unsatisfying. Aurora and her hubby, Prince Philip’s, characters served their purpose but were very bland. It wasn’t until after I got home from the theater that I realized there was not a ton of interesting dialogue or many lines at all (definitely not from those two). It still worked. There was so much to look at that I didn’t care. But, these characters were not the draw. Maleficent was spectacular. Angelina Jolie performed this role with incredible talent and grace. The character was complex and broken and beautiful. And she managed to capture all of that. Deeper Insight - Maleficent's Important Connection In one scene, Maleficent is shot down from the sky (by orders of the evil queen) and would have died if not saved by Conall (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a fae. He was the same kind of fae as Maleficent. Remember: before this, she had never met another fae like her. So, he brings her, unconscious and dying, to a hidden nest that opens into a large cave filled with faes just like her and patches her up. She wakes up and meets them. She watches them move, flying like she does with beautiful wings. She sees them walking and talking. One thing that caught her attention came as a surprise to my mom, but makes perfect sense to me: she was mesmerized by the young children learning to fly. In the first movie, Maleficent falls in love with the young Aurora she cursed. She definitely has a soft spot for kids. Another thing from the first movie concerns the very first scenes. She grew up alone, but happy and playful, just like thee kids she saw in the cave. One night, they had a party. Some fae drummed and played music while others danced and yet others simply sat around and talked. Happily. This was the emotional turning point for Maleficent. No one can fight without having something to fight for. All of a sudden, she wasn’t alone. She wasn’t a monster to them like she spent years being told she was by humans. I love that she found her people and culture. That is what gave the movie a punch, for me. I connected to it and I think anyone who has ever felt outcasted, especially those who have been lucky enough to later find a community that accepted them, can relate with Maleficent in these scenes. Conall believes in peace. He wants to co-exist with humans so that his people can live free. She agrees fully until she meets also Borra (Ed Skrein) who has another idea. He wants to go to war with the humans that almost wiped out their species and forced the rest into hiding. It’s a hard pitch for Maleficent to ignore after she had tried to make peace only for humans to still hate her and try to kill her. She chooses peace. The question is whether she can convince others to do the same. ConclusionWatch. The. Movies. If I haven’t convinced you already, here’s my last try: The main character is played by ANGELINA JOLIE. Have you seen her jawbones? She plays a gorgeous and regal Maleficent.
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