In a world where Humans and Fairies co-existed on either sides of walls of curiosity and fear, there blossomed the most unlikely friendship between Stefan – a human prince and Maleficent – a fairy princess. As time flew, Humans’ greed caused them to invade the Moors where the fairies lived, only to be defeated by Maleficent and her army of magical beasts. A greedy Stefan managed to fox the unassuming Maleficent into believing his words of reconciliation, only to chop off her wings to take the throne. A distraught Maleficent turns evil to cast a cruel spell on Stefan’s daughter as payback. Stefan’s efforts to nullify the curse and those of Maleficent to thwart them lead up to a series of unbelievable events that form the rest of the story.
Language:
English
Running Time:
97 min
Rating:
PG
Release date:
30 May 2014
Directed by:
Robert Stromberg
Produced by:
Joe Roth
Written by:
Linda Woolverton
Based on:
Disney’s Sleeping Beauty
by Charles Perrault
Starring:
Angelina Jolie
Sharlto Copley
Elle Fanning
Sam Riley
Imelda Staunton
Juno Temple
Lesley Manville
Music by:
James Newton Howard
Shot by:
Dean Semler
Edited by:
Chris Lebenzon
Richard Pearson
Distributed by:
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

What’s Hot

  • A magical world of fairies has been aptly utilized as the perfect playground for the skills of the visual effects technicians as they have truly re-created the imaginative splendour on screen. They have literally brought to life the three pixies and Diaval who is made to assume various forms from a beastly wolf to a humongous fire breathing dragon that wrecks havoc in the ranks of Stefan’s army.
  • Art Direction does not miss out as they have a field day as well in recreating the natural wonders of the moors and not to forget the imposing castle from the exterior and interior. The costume designers have done an impeccable job in creating Angelina Jolie’s black outfit with horns and wings with subtle variations to suit her evil and benevolent shades for which they have a worthy nomination at the Oscars!
  • Angelina Jolie as Maleficent has ensured that all the focus showered on her character throughout the movie has been justified. Her menacing looks as the evil Maleficent and an equally impressive side that emits pure love, is such a delight to watch. Her voice modulations are captivating as we hear the impactful dialogues delivered with such precision.
  • The music scored by James Newton Howard gives an air of enchantment to suit the fantasy backdrop of the story. The changing emotions of Maleficent in particular are well supported by the lively background score.

What’s Not

  • The story has a fresh interpretation of a popular fairy tale from the perspective of the evil witch and attempts to justify her acts of malice. But, large gaping holes such as the one where Stefan decides to raise her daughter in the woods despite the fact that the witch roams around at will is too glaring to be forgiven and seems to be featured just to stay true to the fairy tale version.

Badges

Verdict

Verdict Stamp

‘Maleficent’ is a heart warming narration of the unlikely tryst between Malicious and affectionate feelings that arise within the most unlikely creatures on earth to produce a pretty good orchestration of magical moments to please one and all!