Maleficent

An extremely important aspect of films is the ability to escape into a fantastical world and have fun being in that world instead of our own stressful, boring, and humdrum world we live in on a daily basis. We know the fantasy genre is a favorite since so many films of this genre have been created as far back to 1939's "The Wizard of Oz" to the most recent "Oz: The Great and Powerful". Others such as "Pans Labyrinth", "Winter's Tale", and even "Field of Dreams" to mention a few, add to that ever growing list. So it's not tough to believe that we would be ready to sink our teeth into "Maleficent".

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 lead by King Henry (Kenneth Cranham) threatens the harmony of the land, Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) 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 Aurora grows into a teenager, Maleficent realizes that Aurora (Elle Fanning) holds the key to peace in the kingdom-- and perhaps to Maleficent's true happiness as well. This untold story of Disney's iconic villain from the classic "Sleeping Beauty" teaches us the truth of what causes her to go to such extremes to demonstrate why she was as revengeful as she was, and what could be done to healthily rectify this act of revenge.

Others to round out the cast are Sharlto Copley as Stefan, Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton, and Juno Temple as Flittle, Knotgrass, and Thistlewit respectively, three fairies, Sam Riley as Diaval, Brenton Thwaites as Prince Phillip, Miranda Richardson as a Queen, Ella Purnell as Teen Maleficent, Jackson Bews as Teen Stefan, Janet McTeer as Narrator, and Guy Potter Stefan's Page.

This was actually directed by Robert Stromberg, a newcomer to theatrical features, however a seasoned professional with visual effects as supervisor and matte paintings. He really knew how to emit incredible emotion out of his actors that fit any given scene. This guy will certainly receive more work. It was written by Linda Woolverton ("Beauty and the Beast" '91, "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey" '93, "The Lion King" '94, "Alice in Wonderland" '10) plus TV. It was based on the story, "La Belle an bois dormant" by Charles Perrault, which was based on the Grimm Brothers "Little Briar Rose", which was based on the motion picture "Sleeping Beauty", story adaptation by Erdman Penner. Woolverton's script was cohesive, strong, and had all the elements that make for a great fantasy and then some. The visual effects and animation were predominantly created by Digital Domain and MPC (Moving Picture Company), which were definitely seamless and gave just the right feel of the film.

This film had it all. From Anna B. Sheppard's beautiful costumes to the dark and intense cinematography by Dean Semler, acs/asc, from James Newton Howard's haunting and sweeping musical score to Angelina Jolie's incredible yet fun role as Maleficent, this film will delight all with its great story, great escapism all with a great message. What more could anyone want?

Out of 4 Stars: 4                               Rated: PG                                 98mins.