Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

I realize that I must sound like a broken record, however Hollywood pushes me to that point. Point is, why does Hollywood keep rafting out sequels and franchises, etc, as if there are no other ideas in which to give the audiences forms of entertainment? Simple. Money or tons of box office receipts. It's called creating as little as possible to maximize your profits. And Disney is the king of this, hence their offing yes, a sequel--"Maleficent: Mistress of Evil".

 

In this sequel of the 2014 global box office hit, Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) and her goddaughter Aurora (Elle Fanning) begin to question the complex family ties that bind them as they are pulled in different directions by impending nuptials, unexpected allies and dark new forces at play. The years have been kind to Maleficent and Aurora. Their relationship, born of heartbreak, revenge and ultimately love, has flourished. Yet the hatred between man and the fairies still exists. Aurora's impending marriage to Prince Philip (Harris Dickinson) is cause for celebration in the kingdom of Ulstead and the neighboring Moors, as the formidable Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer), out of hatred of the Moors, attempts to pit Aurora against Maleficent to rid her kingdom from these Moors and fairies once and for all.

 

Others to round out the cast are Sam Riley as Diaval, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Conall, peacemaker of the Moors, Ed Skrein as Borra, Robert Lindsay as King John, David Giyasi as Percival, Jenn Murray as Gerda, Juno Temple as Thistlewit, Lesley Manville as Flittle and Imelda Staunton as Knotgrass.

 

This was amazingly well staged and paced by director Joachim Ronning ("Bandidas" '06, "Max Manus: Man of War" '08, "Kon-Tiki" '12, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dean Men Tell No Tales" '17, "Doomsday" (TV movie) '17) plus TV and shorts. Considering that the original "Maleficent" was directed by Robert Stromberg, a less experienced director than this film, it's no surprise that Disney opted for Ronning to direct. But, who knows, perhaps Stromberg was already committed to another project. It truly takes a talented filmmaker to convey similar character development from a previous film in which they didn't direct to a follow up a film. This takes true professionalism. If you like his brand of directing, his "Origin" has been announced. Even though there were as many as three writers, Linda Woolverton, Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue, to write this, it was still written in an entertaining way. This is certainly Woolverton's baby considering she wrote the original, but honestly both Harpster and Fitzerrman-Blue are no slouches in the writing category themselves, since they both have credit in the writing of the upcoming "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" which stars Tom Hanks releasing at Thanksgiving time. Usually when a screenplay exceeds more than two writers, the storyline can become convoluted--too many hands in the pot mentality, but this certainly keeps the attention of its audience which is tough today considering a fair many filmgoers simply want or need to be stimulated when they enter the multiplex. Heaven forbid that a filmgoer would appreciate art more than stimuli. Even though there was talent here, it wasn't without issues--there was a bit of choppiness and lack of cohesiveness, but all in all, the entertainment factor kicked in well so the few issues became forgivable. And the visual effects predominantly designed by MPC (Moving Picture Company) were seamless and actually enhanced the production.

 

Certainly if you liked "Maleficent" you'll love this. This isn't as fresh and conveyed as well as its predecessor, buy hey, it's a sequel which usually is never as well thought as the original, but this a close second. Will there be a third Maleficent? Who knows, but as long as these films keeps raking in the box office receipts, Disney will undoubtedly keep churning them out. It's also in a nifty IMAX format as well to choose from.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                      Rated: PG                                        119mins.