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Maleficent (2014) 7.2
Ratings:
7.2/10 from 131,066 users
Metascore: 56/100
Reviews: 474 user | 322 critic | 44 from Metacritic.com A vengeful fairy is driven to curse an infant princess, only to discover that the child may be the one person who can restore peace to their troubled land. Director:Robert StrombergWriters:Linda Woolverton, Charles Perrault (based from the story "La Belle au bois dormant" by), 9 more credits » |
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Title: Maleficent (2014)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Angelina Jolie | ... | ||
| Elle Fanning | ... | ||
| Sharlto Copley | ... | ||
| Lesley Manville | ... | ||
| Imelda Staunton | ... | ||
| Juno Temple | ... | ||
| Sam Riley | ... | ||
| Brenton Thwaites | ... | ||
| Kenneth Cranham | ... | ||
 |
Sarah Flind | ... | |
| Hannah New | ... | ||
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Isobelle Molloy | ... | |
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Michael Higgins | ... | |
| Ella Purnell | ... | ||
| Jackson Bews | ... | ||
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal - an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces a battle with the invading king's successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom - and perhaps to Maleficent's true happiness as well. Written by Walt Disney Pictures
Taglines:
Evil has a beginning. See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
30 May 2014 (Canada) See more »Also Known As:
Maléfica See more »Box Office
Budget:
$180,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend:
$69,431,298 (USA) (30 May 2014)Gross:
$240,810,487 (USA) (10 October 2014)Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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Written by Sammy Fain and Jack Lawrence
Produced by Dan Heath
Performed by Lana Del Rey
Arranged by Julian Shah-Tayler and Daisy O'Dell
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Two-time Academy Award-nominated and two-time Golden Globe-winning producer Don Hahn was chosen to work on this film due to his work on Beauty and the Beast (1991), The Lion King (1994), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), The Little Matchgirl (2006), and Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009), as well as being a tremendous admirer and enthusiast of the Disney legacy himself. He was also one of the most influential and important people to work at Walt Disney Animation Studios and to come from the Disney Renaissance. His passion and love for Disney earned him the position to executive produce Maleficent (2014), which will honor and respect Sleeping Beauty (1959). This is also the first time that he worked on a mainstream live action feature film since the lackluster The Haunted Mansion (2003). See more »Goofs
The two kings in this story set in the Middle Ages, which ended in 1453, are often addressed as Majesty. The first monarch addressed as Majesty was Charles I, King of Spain, who was also Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire as Charles V, and who reigned in the 16th century. See more »Quotes
Maleficent: Before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel, and fall into a sleep like death!See more »
Crazy Credits
The usual Disney castle in the opening credits is replaced by the castle used in the movie. See more »Soundtracks
Once Upon a DreamWritten by Sammy Fain and Jack Lawrence
Produced by Dan Heath
Performed by Lana Del Rey
Arranged by Julian Shah-Tayler and Daisy O'Dell
See more »
So, Disney ambushes Gregory Maguire, the author of "Wicked" in this tepid retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" and the unnecessary explanation for the actions of the exquisite villain we love to hate, Maleficent.
Maguire had a brilliant idea once upon a time, his speculation about a wicked woman's progression towards very bad behavior and the reasons behind that transformation changed fairy tales forever. Maguire caught lightening in a bottle, using complex characters and situations to explain a life that ended with a bucket of water. "Wicked" had everything that "Maleficent" does not: compelling characters and a sturdy plot which gave the characters room to move and grow. "Maleficent" is the Dollar General version of "Wicked". For it's tedious running time of 90-some minutes, it plods along throwing 200 million dollars of CGI imagery at you, which is evidently supposed to divert you from noticing the plot holes and jaw-droppingly abysmal dialog. It feels padded out in many places. It's stingy in the extreme and comes across like a puppy that's peed on the carpet. You can't hate a puppy, all cuteness and earnest contrition for the wet spot. "Maleficent" wants your love so badly it's willing to humiliate the best villain Disney ever had.
We love Maleficent simply because she's bad to the bone. Why should we care what happened to her back in the day? Great villains are often just what they appear to be, corrupt individuals who take pleasure in the suffering of others. The original Maleficent owned her darkness, and in the end, died for it. This new, terrible "explanation" for old Mal's bitchery was given to us by the horrid Linda Woolverton's screenplay (Woolverton also scribbled the wretched screenplay for Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland). This reimagining of why the old girl was such a meanie nearly turns Disney's Grande Dame of Evil into June Cleaver. All that was missing was a string of everyday pearls and a frilly apron. Let's not talk about the three fairies or the weak retelling of the famous pink/blue fight between them. I wanted to spray them with Raid and watch them die. Now that's evil.
Evidently, the backbone Disney showed in 1959 allowing Maleficent to invoke "all the powers of Hell" in her dragon transformation is all gone. Being a real meanie is bad these days. No one is accountable for doing bad things, they're just misunderstood. Being a meanie doesn't sell merchandise. Being a meanie and dying when you finally get caught doesn't allow for a sequel. Get ready for "Maleficent 2: Forest Frolics". Two stars, one for each of Angelina Jolie's cheekbone prosthetics. A truly depressing film from a once innovative studio.