MALEFICENT (D+)

Bottom Line:  MalefiCANT.  This emotionless, flat and uninvolving hodgepodge of disconnected storytelling, aimless character development and overproduced visual spectacle may keep you spellbound with how little it actually has to offer…  Jolie ambitiously displays a sinister yet understanding darkness in a few scenes that adequately capture the true spirit of Disney villainy – but that gets old pretty fast…  And soon your left with nothing more than dazzlingly recycled visuals from a candy-colored, computer generated tar-and-feather fight between OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, AVATAR and ALICE IN WONDERLAND.  Ironically, this tale of Sleeping Beauty will more than likely put parents in a state of slumber – while younger viewers either embrace the faux-majesty or cower in fear of the nightmare-inducing imagery.  Cold and distant, this tonally misguided fairy tale should leave you feeling anything but enchanted.

 

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Sharlto Copley and Elle Fanning

Directed by: Robert Stromberg

Running time: 97 minutes

Studio description: "Maleficent" explores the untold story of Disney's most iconic villain from the classic "Sleeping Beauty" and the elements of her betrayal that ultimately turn her pure heart to stone. Driven by revenge and a fierce desire to protect the moors over which she presides, Maleficent cruelly places an irrevocable curse upon the human king's newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Aurora is caught in the middle of the seething conflict between the forest kingdom she has grown to love and the human kingdom that holds her legacy. Maleficent realizes that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land and is forced to take drastic actions that will change both worlds forever. (c) Walt Disney Pictures

 

Official site: www.movies.disney.com/maleficent