Movie Review

I actually had a very different opinion of this film, and found the first movie darker. Overall, I enjoyed it though I do agree, that it shouldn’t be rated for younger children. I also think that someone should still give Angie a sandwhich once in a while. 

Review:

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is the second instalment of the story of Sleeping Beauty that is telling the story from the point of view of Maleficent, the evil fairy who cursed baby Aurora to sleep forever on her 16^th birthday.

In the first film, we learn the back story of Maleficent and how she ended up evil, it was a very beautiful but painful story.

In this second outing, we are seeing Maleficent in the role of a mother who wants to protect her daughter from the pain of love. We find out more about who Maleficent really is, where she comes from, something she herself didn’t know. It is very intriguing to learn about her lineage.

This is a much darker film compared to the first one, in fact, it is far too grim for the age it is advertised as being suitable for. When I went to see it there were youngsters, in the age bracket, who were petrified and hiding in their parents’ arms with other children having to leave the screening. Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal writes ‘The level of violence in this PG-rated film is dismaying.’

I would not advise this as a family film and I would, wholeheartedly, say that it is best not to have the expectations that you probably have if you loved Maleficent. This is a film with so much going on that really doesn’t make sense visually but had so much potential, which is visible at different points. Would I watch it again? Yes, I would but I wouldn’t actively seek it out. My suggestion is to try and not compare it to the first one if you do decide to watch it.

Lisa