Most of us if not all are familiar with the fairytale Sleeping Beauty, whether our parents read it to us and/or we read
it on our own as a child or saw the famously inspired movie. In Maleficent, which premiered on May 30th,
2014, the director Robert Stromberg and cinematographer Dean Semler reconstructed
a whole new version of Sleeping Beauty. They present their audiences with a recreation and repurposing the tale
transforming the male heroism of Sleeping
Beauty to women empowerment as shown by “Maleficent” (Angelina Jolie).
Director Robert Stromberg shows his desire to show the darker side of the fairy
tale in comparison to the happier side we are familiar with. What made this
story so greatly put together was its visual effects, counteract of the
original fairy tale, and the amazing performances by the cast.
The story
written by Robert Stromberg portrays the beginning of the film as a flashback
to Maleficent as a young fairy girl, whom befriends a young farm boy who snuck
into her forest of jewels as a thief. Maleficent and the farm boy form a really
intimate relationship with each other. In
addition, as teenagers Maleficent and the human boy share a romantic kiss on a
hilltop- “true-love’s first kiss” as portrayed in the Disney film. After this
encounter, the human boy, Stefan (Sharlto Copley) stops showing up and ends up
breaking Maleficent’s heart. As years went by, Stefan wants to become king of
the humans and in order to do so he has to betray and kill Maleficent. At this
part in the film, Stromberg sets up Stefan as a villain. Stefan ends up cutting
Maleficent’s fairy wings while she is in a drugged sleep. Stefan takes the
wings to his king to show proof that the job has been done. This act reveals
the dark feelings in Maleficent, leading her to become the evil character as
she seeks revenge towards the new king Stefan. The story tells about love,
betrayal, and hate. In addition, in another scene that was presented in the
film was when King Stefan and the Queen had a baby, the illustration was of
Princess Aurora’s birth-welcoming party, in which Maleficent was not invited.
This is another reason to why Maleficent is also portrayed as being bitter and resentful.
Due to this incident Maleficent curses the infant princess with eternal sleep.
As time progresses, Maleficent comes to realize that Princess Aurora may be the
one who holds the key to peace in her kingdom, making Maleficent inspired to
take momentous decisions and actions that would impact both the human world and
fairy worlds. This film is an ideal and picture- perfect
blend between action, fantasy, and romance keeping the audience engaged in the
film.
The visual
effects are the greatest attribute in this movie because they were engaging and
thought-provoking. For instance, the scenes in Maleficent exhilarated the audience and kept them fully
entertained. Even though, Maleficent has
a fantasy feel to it, that is what kept the viewers allured to the film. Every
scene in the movie was easily understood and the audience found it easy to
comprehend what was going on throughout the film. Every scene took the audience
through twists, and turns making the viewers imagine being a part of a fairy
world.
In addition,
the beautiful images depicted in the movie were well-loved as well as for the
casts’ acts. The characters were incredibly well portrayed and they depicted
the story in a phenomenal sense. Most famous and well done acting jobs were
those presented by Angelina Jolie (Maleficent), Sharlto Copley (Stefan), Sam
Riley (Diaval), and Elle Fanning (Princess Aurora). I believe that the role
that Angelina Jolie presented of Maleficent was wonderfully done with her great
attributes for example, her scary green eyes, sharp face, and her tone of
voice. Even though, real big- time famous actors acted in this movie, it was
not enjoyed because of that reason but because of how well and beautifully it
was presented.
Furthermore, as
a love for classic Disney films I was truly impressed by this film when I saw
it on its premiere night. This is surely going to be a new favorite classic for
kids and adults alike. Robert Stromberg and Angelina Jolie created a
masterpiece in recreating a new, darker version of Sleeping Beauty. I would
give this film a five star review because it was brilliantly created and
presented and I really enjoyed it.
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