Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) used to be a happy fairy in the magical Moors. Next door is a kingdom of evil humans; one of which, Stefan (Sharlto Copley) grows up from peasant to scheming soldier. The evil King Henry tries to invade the Moors, but Maleficent stops him. So Henry tells his men that whoever beats Maleficent will be the next King. Stefan, who happens to be Maleficent's former childhood only human friend, does the deed. He only cuts off her wings, but that's enough ...
Maleficent promptly reinvents herself into the Evil Queen of the Moors. She crashes the Christening of Stefan's newborn daughter, Aurora, to give her the all-familiar sleeping curse. But the curse will break with true love's kiss. She watches over the Princess to pass the time before the curse is to take effect. That comes with the unfortunate side effect of Maleficent actually caring for her.
It's the directorial debut of production designer Robert Stromberg (Avatar, Alice in Wonderland). His production designers, Dylan Cole and Gary Freeman, populate the film with plenty of visual splendor. It's especially so with the Moors, a land populated with many unique creatures. When Maleficent "corrupts" it, the only bad thing that happens is that there's no day. That eternal night is a luminescent wonderland.
But what about the star of the movie? As portrayed by Jolie, Maleficent's evil side is subtly hammy. Her best scenes are her awkward encounters with her intended victim. She just doesn't know what to do around that little princess. Her shift back to good makes dramatic sense.
Maleficent is a good twist on some old fairy tale cliches. Though flashes of other modern fairy tales may come when watching it, particularly near the end. Especially Sleeping Beauty; the cursing scene is recreated here almost word to word.
As for a verdict. Whether in 3D or Flatscreen, it's a good family matinee. But be careful that certain scenes in the opening are beyond disturbing.
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