Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Sometimes, stories don’t always go the way we think. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, released on October 18, 2019, takes place five years after the first movie. Starring Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, and Michelle Pfeiffer, it is rated PG.

Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip are finally set to be married, uniting their two kingdoms together in peace. However, when Maleficent goes to meet Phillip’s parents, it goes horribly wrong. A war begins between the fairies and humans, with Maleficent and Aurora on opposite sides. Will there ever be peace? What will happen to everyone as a result of this war?

The first Maleficent movie is a remake of the 1959 animated Disney movie Sleeping Beauty. It put a spin on the story by having the villain from the original story become the hero. This movie continues that story and feels different while staying true to the first movie. The first movie explained Maleficent’s origins, but this movie explains a little more about her than we thought existed. Some gaps from the first movie are filled in with this sequel. As an example, why was she so different from the other fairies in the marsh? The story also has some rather clever plot points that help to expand the story beyond the first movie.

Angelina Jolie’s performance as Maleficent maintains its creepy, yet sympathetic charm. We discover more about her and how she is both good and a warrior for the fairies in this movie. Elle Fanning gives a charming performance as Aurora that’s similar to the first movie, but shows a more mature princess. The other actors from the first movie give strong performances though in a more reduced role. I’m also impressed with Michelle Pfeiffer as the new character Queen Ingrith. She creates a memorable character that ensures the audience will not forget her long after seeing the movie. I do have to complain however, about Harris Dickinson, the replacement actor for Brenton Thwaites as Phillip. His performance ranges from average to awkward, both in dialogue and his acting performance. This is a shame, since the role was increased heavily from the previous movie.

Something to praise is this film has much more action than its predecessor. With a war going on, the action scenes are thrilling to behold. As a result, it is much more exciting than the 2014 film. That’s something I appreciate, especially since I find the original animated Sleeping Beauty movie to actually be quite boring, even though that’s not always a popular opinion.

Overall, I liked this movie even if a lot of other critics didn’t like it. I would even say that I liked it more than the first movie. So check it out and join the dark fairy.