Maleficent (2014) Review

Maleficent (2014)

As I recently stated, Disney Animation Studios truly had a watershed moment with Frozen (2013), capping off a a half-decade run of excellent animated films that rejuvenated the name of Disney at large.  And while that is a significant achievement for a company that often has the final say in motion picture animation, we can't forget the other side of Disney, that being the live-action film component.  This is a far more ambiguous realm as Disney has always produced live-action features - usually several a year as opposed to a single animation offering - that vary in quality without following defined trends.  Most recently, however, Disney has assumed a particular MO in their live-action offerings, which has been to embrace the aging generations raised on the company's classic animated tales and offer a more mature (darker even) revisionism.  While it being a network TV show, Once Upon a Time (2011-) has been the cornerstone of this venture, and has proved to be highly successful.  The films have followed suite, and nowhere is that more apparent than with the re-imagined-Sleeping Beauty noir of Maleficent (2014), with which, like with animation in Frozen, Disney has finally hit its live-action mark.

Maleficent, of course, is not the first feature to employ the method explained above.  Two films have actually come before it, and while those films naturally proved to be box office successes, the clumsily mismanaged Alice in Wonderland (2010) and the just plain awful Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) critically missed the mark.  These two films were simply disappointing despite their returns, but that was mostly due to poor writing; their visual style was somewhat redeeming and no doubt the reason everyone went to see them (that being said, Oz really did suck).  The problem with Alice and Oz was that despite the intention to rework the classic material in a new and more mature way, the producers never really seemed to find that way.  The stories were muddled and half-baked, playing second fiddle to the visuals that would climax in battle sequences that seemed more like gimmicks than actual plot devices.  It came off as being just stupid.  Maleficent, on the other hand, succeeds where the other two failed by having a confident and solid script to anchor the truly stunning visuals.  Even a concept as basic as giving a back story to the villain from Sleeping Beauty (1959) pays off so well here because it is so clear and direct; simple, but not stupid.

Tight story aside, what really seals the deal for Maleficent is its casting.  Angelina Jolie, not surprisingly, absolutely devours the title role, and does so which such grit and grace that you would swear the character was written for her.  What is surprising, however, is the quality of the supporting cast.  The always outstanding Sharlto Copley equally devours his role as Maleficent's lover-turned-enemy and injects an intensity that is certainly the darkest element of the film.  Sam Riley also turns in a stoic performance as Diaval, the raven accomplice, and Elle Fanning delivers a light but justifiably innocent portrayal of Princess Aurora (don't forget, the film really isn't about her).  Even the comic relief of the three fairies is well done and used only sparingly so as not to undermine the serious themes and subtexts throughout the film; indeed, Disney can't Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah anymore, especially with an allusion to rape in the first act.

Finally, the component we would all expect the film's enormous budget to go to does not disappoint.  Maleficent is visually stunning, simple as that.  The artwork in both foreground and background is breathtaking, the 3D is excellent, and the action is thrilling and always motivated.  To shake things up, the film more or less opens with the obligatory epic battle scene, but it serves to effectively establish the story instead of conclude it, making room for far more intimate and impressive action sequences to arrive later in the narrative when it truly counts.  However, it still is a great epic battle scene; short but sweet, and one of the best Disney has produced since The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005).  First-time director Robert Stromberg makes an impressive debut, no doubt to the credit of his background as a decorated production designer.  No expense was spared in the visual creation of Maleficent's world, but no expense was wasted either.

The film is not without its flaws, but they are few and far between, and completely forgivable considering that Disney has improved upon its previous outings of the same nature.  In the end, all of this makes for one of the tightest and most efficient movies Disney has given us recently, and that is very impressive given the fact that they can more than afford cinematic indulgence (and again, Oz really did suck).  It will certainly be interesting to see whether Disney can continue this quality and efficiency with their subsequent live-action version of Cinderella in 2015.  Who's know what its twist might be - the viewpoint of the glass slipper?  Regardless, the bar has been set very high, and there's little room to phone anything in anymore.  Maleficent gives me faith in the future of live-action Disney, and highly I doubt they will pull another Oz, because it really did suck.

- McS