Maleficent Review:

I am a self-proclaimed Sleeping Beauty expert and enthusiast so, of course, I was at the first showing of Maleficent Friday morning. I even wore an outfit inspired by Briar Rose (Princess Aurora’s alias when she like in the woods) because I’m a dork like that and it was hot outside.

After bounding into the theater like the princess herself and purchasing a bottle of water because, like I said, it was hot and I like to stay hydrated, I all but ran into theater. I watched the reeling of movie trivia questions and Coke ads, trying my best to be patient as they movie was already 5 minutes late and my foot thumping like…well like that >

Then, after 10 more minutes of movie trailers that went something like “Nope…maybe…. Haha yes!....maybe…” the movie started and I got chills.

 The next 2 hours of my life were spent watching a cinematic presentation surrounded by the most evil of all Disney villains.And here’s what I thought about it…. 

Warning: The following blog post contains spoilers. Reader discretion is advised.

1. Artwork: I said in my last post that Sleeping Beauty was one of the most unappreciated films of all times. And of that unappreciation, the animation is the most unappreciated thing. When you mention Disney animation, the ballroom scene from Beauty and the Beast is always thrown in as the greatest animated scene of all time, which is beautiful but you have to remember one thing- Beauty and the Beast was done by computer.  Sleeping Beauty was the done completely by hand, being the last film to have hand inked cells, which makes it unique. Walt Disney wanted Sleeping Beauty to have a different feel than the previous movies, especially in the art which was based of the medieval art of Sleeping Beauty’s fictional time frame. Eyvind Earle, an artist, was the art director for the film and even painted many of the backgrounds used in the films. That’s why they are most like art pieces than animation scenery. His detail is something unmatched by animated films- especially those pre-pc- but often ignored by movie watchers. The next time you watch the movie, paid attention to the detail of the background and how Earle painted individual leaves on the trees and cracks in the stone. I saw all of that to say this, the colors and tones of the Maleficent reminded me of Sleeping Beauty. Though there was no artwork as it was a live action film, the colors were like the ones used in the original film. They were rich and warm at the cottage and the forest and cooler when Maleficent or any other dooming evil was present. Good job art department or whoever was in charge of coloring the film.
2. Sets: Some of the sets used in Maleficent looked like they were pulled directly from Sleeping Beauty. The interior of the castle, especially the hall in which the christening takes place and Aurora’s room reminded my so much of the animated film as well as the Forbidden Mountain. Maleficent’s Forbidden Mountain, thought seen only briefly in the movie, looked like it was pulled straight from the animated movie. Maleficent walked through a lone arch- the same arch that would crash on Philip in the Sleeping Beauty. The walls and turrets were perfectly spaced and destroyed to fit the silhouette of the animated Forbidden Mountain. Whoever was the set designer and decorator for this movie paid special attention to the original movie and tried to design it either similar or identical to it. Again, good job.
3. Music: Okay, the music was a little anti climatic. But when you the original “Sleeping Beauty” soundtrack is composed by the infamous Tchaikovsky (and rearrange by George Burns), it’s kinda hard to compare. The only cross over from Sleeping Beauty to Maleficent is Lana Del Ray’s hauntingly beautiful rendition of “Once Upon a Dream”. (listen to it here) The music in the movie is just like any other soundtrack- not John Williams worthy- but provided the emotions that movie soundtracks normal do. Now, I know that a lot of people are disappointed that the soundtrack wasn't more like the original- and I was too, but it kinda makes more sense this way. If you don’t know, the music from “Sleeping Beauty” was arranged by George Burns but was basically taken note for note from Tchaikovsky's “Sleeping Beauty” ballet. The music is Sleeping Beauty centers around the main character (um duh) and include two songs sung by the Princess herself, “I Wonder” and “Once Upon a Dream” (their main melodies also taken from the ballet thought not credited).  The main character is Maleficent is..Maleficent. It makes perfect sense that the music in the movie is not the same as its predecessor, they are focused on different characters. Furthermore (that’s right, I pulled out the furthermore) in the christening scene, the tiny princess was not blessed with the gift of song- which basically cuts out her singing. The music wasn’t as wonderful as the original (who can go up against a heavy weight like Tchaikovsky) but served its purpose in the film.
4. Costuming: I have wanted Princess Aurora’s dress since I was 3 years old and ONE DAY-you mark my words- I will have not one but two (one in pink and one and blue, of course). You see, my fine friends, they didn't make little girl princess dresses when I was small. And if they did, they were for Cinderella or Ariel or Jasmine- not the under appreciated Aurora.  Her dress freaking changed colors, it was awesome. But going into the movie, I knew that Elle Fanning wouldn’t be wearing the same classic frock (And if she was, I was going to be totes jealous). I like the costuming a lot more that I thought I would, with the key outfit being Maleficent’s jagged edge, black dress. The costumer did a fantastic job with it- it was perfect. Aurora gowns were gorgeous as well and actually more fitting to the medieval setting (the original movie was made in the 50’s and the style of Aurora’s dresses reflect that time period- in my opinion). I was pleased to see that Aurora wore a blue gown for the majority of the film, like in “Sleeping Beauty”. The one costuming choice I didn’t understand was Prince Philips outfit. I feel like the costumer might have gotten Philip’s costume mixed up with Prince Charming’s from Snow White.  I mean, it doesn’t really make a difference, but I did notice it.  
5. The Casting: I’m not a huge Angelina Jolie fan- I think that all stems from that whole Brad Pitt ?Jenifer Aniston fiasco that happened 10 year ago- but she was born to play that role. Disney movies aren't normally given Oscars nowadays when it comes to Best Actress or Actor. I, however, would be surprise is Jolie doesn't get the Oscar nod for her portrayal. It was breathtaking. She captured the legendary villain perfectly, especially that creepy mocking smile that scared me senseless as an adult..child. I really had no opinion of Elle fanning as Aurora. They didn't ask me, so I was a little hurt. She is only 16, so perfect for the story, and had the sweet, Aurora charm. The man cast to play King Stefan looked strangely like the animated character- kinda freaky. Brenton Thwaites was the beautiful Prince Philip. He had the charm and smile and very few lines….I think the movie could have used a little more Prince Philip, just because he’s so hot. {Catherine’s Note: If I had be cast at Aurora, I would have requested Ben Barnes as my Prince Philip- surprised? I didn’t think you would be.(Catherine’s Noted Note: If Ben Barnes had a prior engagement, Henry Cavil would have been an acceptable second. Again, not surprising)[.Catherine’s Noted Note that was Noted Before: If I wasn’t Aurora with either Ben or Henry as my prince, they would have to raise that curse age since I’m in my mid-twenties and they are in their thirties].}
6. The Fairies: The fairies have always been one of my favorite parts about the movie “Sleeping Beauty”. They are, essentially, the heroes of the story- see changing the curse and the sword that slays the terrifying dragon- and actually have some of the greatest lines in the whole movie. The fairies in Maleficent were kinda ditzy compared to their animated counterparts and didn’t see as powerful as they are usually. They weren’t as important to the overall story as they were in the “Sleeping Beauty”, so I guess it really doesn’t matter. They also changed their names, which seems kinda pointless to me. Their new names, in correspondence with the animated characters are: Flora- Knotgrass, Fauna-Flittle, Merryweather-Thistlewit. I thought that the new name change might be from the fairies original Perrault story (Charles Perrault is credited with the original “Sleeping Beauty” fairytale with the Grimm Brothers having their own similar version called “Briar Rose”) or the ballet, but they aren’t. I don’t understand the name changes. They remind me of the names of the fairies in the Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer’s Night Dreams”, so that might have been the inspiration of the name changed. Another change that really makes no difference but bothered me was that they switch Fauna-Flittle’s and Merryweathers-Thistlewit’s colors, making the youngest green instead of blue. Like I said, this doesn’t make a big deal but then again- since it doesn’t make a big deal, why change it? #truth
7. The Story: If you were expecting Maleficent to be Sleeping Beauty 2.0-just rent in a watch it at home in you pjs, preferably eating ice cream or donuts or mac and cheese. The story of Maleficent follows only part of the original fairytale, which is what made certain parts unexpectant for someone like me who knows it like the back of my hand. I was expecting the movie to be basically the backstory of Maleficent and why she decided to curse a newborn with death. And it was. But from there, I expected the movie to be more like the "Sleeping Beauty" and it really wasn't (if you look at the entirety of the story) . But the changes that they made all made sense in the grander scheme of things. The initial change that bothered me was that Maleficent- not the third fairy- changed the curse so that it could be broken with true love's kiss. I was sitting there like "well, that's pointless". But, it did make sense in the story since Maleficent didn't believe in love, she was basically mocking Stefan. I won't go into details of the other major changes because A) they all make sense in the context of the story and B) I don't want to spoil everything- go see the movie yourself. 

    In conclusion, if you are expecting Maleficent to be a live action version of "Sleeping Beauty", you might was to opt out of this movie. But, if you are willing to go in with an open mind, even the purest of Sleeping Beauty purist (aka. Me) will enjoy this movie. The story of Sleeping Beauty is the ultimate fairytale, full of beauty, adventure and happy endings and Maleficent is too. So, go see it....I bet you'll like it.

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  I wish you love and happy watching!

     XX-

     Catherine