The big budget fantasy fix ‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’ suffers a common fate that has infected numerous other sequels; it’s not a bad film, it’s just not overly necessary.
So huge in almost every area except plot, this is an awe-inspiring movie to look at it. Much like in the original, Angelina Jolie’s deliciously over-the-top anti hero is the perfect nucleus for a story that beautifully captures the sweetness of a ‘happily ever after’ backdrop…complete with enchanting castles, nattering fairies and picturesque waterfalls….colliding with horrific darkness. If only there was as equally strong a tale to take up the space.
‘Mistress of Evil’ opens on the proposal of Prince Phillip (Harris Dickinson) to Aurora (Elle Fanning) who has been queen of the Moors for the last five years. Maleficent is not too thrilled by the union, not only because it means increased social interaction with humans (and really, aren’t we ALL a bit stand off-ish at the prospect of a wedding because of that very reason??) but she fears losing her beloved daughter to Phillip’s mother, Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer), your stereotypical monster-in-law.
It’s once war is essentially declared and Maleficent goes off with her newly discovered tribe, including a similarily winged and horned Chiwetel Ejiofor, that the movie really goes off the rails. Part of the charm of the first movie is that it had a simplicity that made it a good companion piece to its inspiration, ‘Sleeping Beauty’. The sequel, on the other hand, owes more to ‘Lord Of the Rings’, culminating with a gigantic battle. And like the stuff that came before it, the scrap LOOKS good….but if we’ve learned anything from fairy tales, looks aren’t everything.
