Sleeping Beauty’s primary nemesis starred in a live-action movie earlier this year, brought to life with the celebrity firepower of Angelina Jolie. Now available in the Blu-ray format, Maleficent (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, Rated PG, $36.99) explores the origins of one of Disney’s most cherished villains.
It appears the winged (yes, winged) fairy Maleficent has been very misunderstood over the years. The actual villain of the famous fairytale was a greedy king in the making named Stefan.
As a childhood human friend of the fairy, he was welcomed to the Moors by her and all of its creatures with even a glint of puppy love in the air.
However, his lust for power and a dastardly act not only cost the fairy her wings, but the betrayal of her friendship directly led to her years of anger and bitterness.
In the movie, Maleficent strikes back by casting a spell on the King Stefan’s daughter Aurora (played giddily by Elle Fanning) to put her in permanent slumber on her 16th birthday delivered by a prick of a needle from a spinning wheel, and she can only be awoken by a true love’s kiss. An act, Maleficent believes, that does not exist.
However, Maleficent’s heart softens as Aurora’s fateful year gets closer, and she develops maternal instincts for the child as she tries desperately to stop the terrible event.
This 97-minute epic of lost innocence, revenge and redemption dazzles with a steady supply of beautiful special effects highlighted by odd creatures in the Moors, pint-sized fairy godmothers, a shape-shifting raven and even a multistory dragon but, most of all, by the absolute overwhelming presence of Miss Jolie.
Her striking beauty down to chiseled cheekbones (slightly enhanced with prosthetics), range of subtle emotions, eye-popping smile and fantastic costuming and wings will fascinate as well as slightly scare the kiddies, but adults will really appreciate her efforts.
Maleficent peels away and reimagines both the Sleeping Beauty mythos built by the Brother Grimm and the 1959 Disney cartoon, but so what? Angelina Jolie’s rousing performance within this family friendly fairytale alone makes it a “magnificent” addition to a home entertainment library.
Unforgettable high-def moments: Maleficent casting a supposedly permanent spell on the Princess Aurora in the King’s court explodes on the screen with the villainess ejecting vibrant translucent green tendrils and pays beautiful homage to the Disney cartoon.
I’ll also mention an opening battle scene early in the film between an army of armored humans and a variety of creatures from the Moors led by a high-flying Maleficent. It is a cinematic, “Lord of the Rings” battle that looks amazing in 1080p.
Best extras: A small selection of short featurettes shed some light on the production, but I would have really appreciated an optional commentary track with Angelina Jolie and screenwriter Linda Wolverton discussing the bringing of this historical, pop-culture figure to life.
Additionally, we do get roughly eight minutes of the pair talking onscreen separately about the story. Also, special effects fans will appreciate a five-minute deconstruction of the opening battle scene that round out the extras highlights.
• Joseph Szadkowski can be reached at jszadkowski@washingtontimes.com.
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