Movie Review: Maleficent: An Interesting New Spin On An Old Fairy Tale

I Think I Love Fairies!

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I dont typically do movie reviews but just saw "Maleficent". I had low expectations going into it. Let's be honest, I only went because of Angelina Jolie. To my surprise, I REALLY liked it.

Is the story of "Sleeping Beauty" part of regular nursery school curriculum? If so, I might have been absent that day. I had no idea who Maleficent was. All I remember is that Sleeping Beauty was some cursed blond chick who fell into a long slumber. A prince woke her up with "true love's kiss". In my head the culprit was the Evil Queen (who had also cursed Snow White with a poisonous apple). I just thought all the bad stuff in FairyTaleLand was due to the Evil Queen (or an ocassional ogre).

The original story from the 1600s (pre Brothers Grimm) had the sleeping princess raped and with child (actually children-- she had twins). There's also talk of cannibalism and horrific deaths. Oh dear. I dont think we want the children watching that: Original Story Of Sleeping Beauty Would Have Terrified Even Maleficent

The Disney-fied version of the 1950s had Maleficent cursing King Stefan's baby (Aurora) because Maleficent wasnt invited to the christening. Before the sun set on her sixteen's birthday Aurora would prick her finger on a spinning needle and die. That seems a pretty harsh grudge to hold. Maybe the invitation had the incorrect address or was lost in the mail. I dont think we should jump to any rash conclusions. Anyway, another creature with magical powers (maybe it was a fairy) lessened the curse so that Aurora would not die. Instead she would fall into a deep sleep until her true love kissed her.

In the newest incarnation, Maleficent is a kindly fairy girl who protects her kingdom and is loved by all. A human boy wanders into the forest. They eventually fall in love even though she is a fairy and he is a human. Unfortunately the human King is a greedy jerk and wants the moors for himself. On his deathbed he offers his kingdom to anyone who can kill Maleficent. Stefan doesnt kill her (thank goodness) but does cut off her wings.He becomes king. She becomes disillusioned with everyone and everything. The moors because a dark terrifying place.

I would like to pause for a moment to say to Stefan, are you an I-D-I-O-T? The most beautiful woman/fairy in the world is in love with you and you'd rather be king? Something is seriously wrong with you dude!

Sorry for that outburst, back to the story. I wont give away all of the details of this version but suffice to say, Maleficent begins to watch over the child as her "Fairy Godmother". Her trusty crow Diaval also helps. She begrudgingly becomes attached to the girl and tries to remove the curse but can not. All the while King Stefan is working on a scheme to take over the moors and seek revenge on Maleficent.

There are fun bits of humor sprinkled throughout the movie. I'm surprised the fairies didnt kill Aurora as a baby. They werent exactly child care experts. And apparently when someone is unconscious they float through the air and have to be drug about like a Macy's Day parade balloon.

We all know fairy tales have lasted so long because they say something about the human experience-- our hopes, our fears, our morals, etc. What can we learn from this version of "Maleficent"?

Love Gone Wrong Is Hell- If Stefan and Maleficent has just attended couple's therapy, this might have all been avoided. But no, they had to fight it out till the bitter end. And worst of all, Stefan's daughter had to pay for his past misdeeds.
Love Comes In Many Forms- It doesnt always have to be romantic love with Prince Charming (or in this case Prince Phillip). Love can be an extremely powerful force for healing and can happen at the most unexpected times.
Girl Power- I definitely got the feminist vibe from this movie. Dont wait around to be rescued by some boy. Sisters are doing it for themselves. I would have liked to have seen a little more back story for Stefan (since he came across as a real a-hole). He cuts off Maleficent's wings. He doesnt even go see his wife when she's on the verge of death.
Stay Away From Spinning Wheels At All Costs- Nuff said.
Angelina Jolie Has Still Got It Going On- I would watch her in anything. It doesnt matter what the topic is. I also enjoyed seeing her real life daughter Vivienne portraying a young Aurora. She was obviously NOT afraid of her mother in big giant horns.
Will The Turban Make A Come Back- If they look as smashing as Maleficent's, I'm hoping so.
Dragons Are Way Cool- You can never have too many dragons in a movie/TV show.
Iron Is To Fairies As Silver Is To Vampires- Who knew?

gonewiththetwins.com

Grade: 5 Monsters (out of 5). I LOVED it! I enjoyed the CGI, the score and of course Angelina Jolie. I wish someone would give a face lift to all the fairy tales. There is a series of books called "Politically Correct Bedtime Stories" which are great fun. Check them out at Politically Correct Bedtime Stories Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.