FILM OF THE WEEK
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
Disney’s Maleficent (2014) succeeded so well because in its rewriting of the evil queen of the Sleeping Beauty myth as a misunderstood guardian, it struck an interesting balance between dark menace and fairytale candyfloss. It didn’t hurt that the cut-glass visage of Angelina Jolie immediately lent the character a degree of gravity, and positioned opposite the wholesomeness of Elle Fanning (as goody twoshoes Princess Aurora), the whole thing had a compelling screen duo to build itself around.
In this sequel directed by Joachim Ronning, that dynamic is still there to enjoy, with Maleficent putting her foot down when Aurora informs her of the gushing marriage proposal by Prince Phillip (Harris Dickinson). Beware the path of love, is the rebuke from the razorcheeked fairy queen, before she relents and agrees to meet the new in-laws. Hiding in the grass all the while is Phillip’s mother Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer), who has it in for fairies and their ilk.
Without wishing to drop any spoilers, let’s just say you’ll never complain about your own in-laws again. We’ ll also say that this post-Game of Thrones world seems to demand that anything set against a backdrop of crowns and swords must now include cut-throat political intrigue and elaborate bish-bashbosh on the battlefield. The nods by the writing team of Linda Woolverton, Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster are numerous. Even Pfeiffer seems to channel towering villainess Cersei.
This, as well as a whole realm of Maleficent’s cousins turning up (among them Chiwetel Ejiofor) for winged warfare, pulls this sequel into areas that feel forced, as if only such bells and whistles could justify an encore of this scale and budget. There is some wedding fluff and pageantry to swoon over, however, if that’s more your thing.
As for Jolie herself, well... for all the rouged supermodel pouting and sharp put-downs, there remains a slight stiffness to her Maleficent magnificence, making you wonder was her expressiveness limited by all that weighty (but undeniably excellent) make-up and costuming.