What a sensation
this one caused when the trailer first hit the web. It came in with a whole
wave of “backstories” for fairy tales although we can sit down and argue how
good of a job the various Snow White variations did. So Maleficient is the
story of Sleeping Beauty. But of course, true to form, it’s the story of “what
really happened”. Starring a particularly striking looking Angelina Jolie, among
other things, Disney has done a good job of bringing a new angle to a very
classic fairy tale.
Maleficient
(Angelina Jolie) was not always an evil fairy. She was, once, young and strong
and good. So good in fact that she became the protector of the fairy folk. However,
like most of us, she had an Achilles heel. Her heart belonged to someone else,
a human boy called Stefan, to be precise. The fairy folk are different from
humans in many ways and do not understand the lust for power and riches, but
Stefan is ambitious. In fact more ambitious than most. In time, Stefan’s
political ambition turns him against Maleficient. Love turns to hate and so
begins a supernatural war between the lovers that spans decades and draws the
lives of other innocents into its midst… Has Maleficient’s heart turned to
stone? Or is there a spark of good left in her to allow her to put things
right?
I mean ok,
as far as the storyline goes this is a pretty bog standard Disney film. I mean
all the questions in the previous paragraph are, as we all know, rhetorical. We
all know what’s basically going to happen in the end. But I still love the way
Disney frames and ends it. Maleficient (and here comes a spoiler) actually holds
the key to Aurora’s cure, and quite easily pushes aside the “love interest”,
Phillip, proving that the only true love that is possible in this life, comes
from our families. This is, of course, in part a response to the success of
Brave with its play on the bond between mother and daughter. I mean, of course,
Aurora is the daughter Stefan and Maleficient SHOULD have had (incidentally,
was it me, or was it slightly unfair the way Stefan’s queen was so summarily
gotten rid of without us having so much as learnt her name?). And if we had any
other doubts left, Aurora has taken to calling Maleficient Godmother (which is
almost Mother anyway), so there we are. Of course the other twist in the tail
of this tale is that, in the same way that Prince Charming turns out to
definitively NOT be the answer to Aurora’s problems (the film rather cynically
stresses “there is no such thing as true love” throughout), Stefan who actually
should be the one we sympathise with, in a way, becomes the unadulterated
villain, so much so that we don’t really feel that upset when he falls to his
death at the end. But I can’t help but wonder – if it’s about parental love,
would a kiss from Stefan woken her up too? Hmm… I think I may have found a
loophole.
Angelina
Jolie is, it has to be said, rather magnificent as Maleficient. Of course she
is a story book villain for quite a bit of the film and the effect does rely a
bit on the visual. But we do see glimmers of her actual talent here and there,
so it is not just built on posturing and posing. And of course, apart from
giving us the rather liberating message that a woman’s salvation does not only
come through finding a man (incidentally, there is something about
Maleficient’s turning good being parallel with her regaining her wings that
begs an analogy of women finding their own feet, love giving you wings and the
like but the exact wording escapes me), there is another message in there. An
important one in our divisive times. Namely, that no one is actually completely
black. We are all grey. Some are a darker grey than others, but we all have
streaks of white along with the black in us and in life, these are the streaks
one should aim for. This is why you can, in life, find the most unexpected
people become your friends through the most unlikely circumstances, much like
the case of Maleficient.
Incidentally
there is a wonderful cast of side characters in this one too, I was so happy to
see Sam Riley (who I just LOVED in Control) as Diaval, the voice of Maleficient’s
conscience (and also her servant but let’s not get lost in details) and the
trio of pixies led by Imelda Staunton also provide a good giggle.
I can
safely say that Maleficient is the perfect combo of serious food for thought
and family friendly fun. I mean heck, I watched this on a plane, with no
“excuses” in the shape of kids around and I loved it J
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