Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Everyone who likes movies knows how cursed sequels of successful movies are. And taking into consideration that Maleficent was quite a unique fairy tale with quite a lot of fantasy elements thrown into the mix, it didn’t take long for the second movie to come. And the result? Unexpectedly good for a second movie but traditionally less good than the first one. Why, for example, does it have the sub-title Mistress of Evil? I thought that we were able to clarify the fact that Maleficent isn’t evil during the first movie. So why point it out again? And the moments that contradict the first movie are numerous (secret race, rising from the ashes and so on). On the other hand Joachim Rønning isn’t a novice, and therefore he prepared beautiful digital effects with an epic final battle which I wasn’t even expecting but enjoyed quite a lot. So even though there are moments in this movie that I wasn’t able to comprehend, it is still a beautiful fantasy and those aren’t produced in Hollywood often enough. (07/15/2020)

Princess Aurora wants to get married and Maleficent has a bit of a problem with that. One that leads to a war between humans and magical creatures! This dark fantasy sequel is just as lackluster as the first part, a CGI-packed film with a hackneyed and overly simple story that surprises with the unexpected relegation of Angelina Jolie. As an unpretentious family fantasy flick, it may hold up, but you'd look in vain for anything extra in the second Maleficient. (10/19/2019)

The sequel to Maleficent is roughly on a similar level to the first one, but with a bigger budget and a more spectacular finale, so fans of the first one shouldn't be disappointed. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is unexpectedly enough a dark fantasy fairytale, which is nice to watch thanks to nice visuals, the beautiful Angelina Jolie, a lot of interesting creatures and enough famous names. The finale is about 30 minutes long and is a solid, engaging and interesting castle conquest that is reminiscent of the best of the Lord of the Rings within the fantasy genre. I was definitely not bored. 75% (10/24/2019)

Disney's generic remakes of cartoons in live-action format are challenging, overwhelming, and often boring. Fortunately, at least Alice and Maleficent are honorable exceptions that use the original cartoons as a stepping stone and let them inspire them to completely independent adventures. The second Maleficent is a beautiful example of the transition from fairy tale to fantasy that can appeal to an older audience. The cast was also unusually well supported by Michelle Pfeiffer, who thoroughly enjoyed her evil queen Ingrith. The main trio is wonderfully cast and it is a joy to see such satisfied actresses who are happy in their roles. The costumes, the action, the emotion - everything is in its place. Satisfaction on my part. (11/27/2019)

This is a sequel that no one asked for, and there was no reason to make it or anything to make it from, but the previous film had made a lot of money. So it simply had to be made. The story is one large generic template, acting like a combination puffed up ideas and a product, pulled out of someone’s ass and created by a random plot generator. The film tries to cover up the simplicity, commonness and predictability of the story with digital tricks, design and a colourful visual aspect, but even so it only fulfils the usual pleasing standard, without trying for anything original or more imaginative. The film is driven by the professionally implemented surface aspects of the film and in some places by the actors. Unfortunately, all of the effort was wasted on a careless and uninteresting endeavour that exists practically only out of obligation. (10/17/2019)

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is one of many films for which I wish we had a more diverse range in star ratings. The film abounds with gorgeous, fairytale-like visuals that transfix the eye – in places, it looks perhaps a little too contrived to suit the film and the 3D format. I welcome the casting of Michelle Pfeiffer, whom I really like, although it's a fact that her character comes across as somewhat flat (and it's not because of her corset). At times I was bothered by the predictability of the plot, which on the one hand is to be expected in a fairy tale where good always triumphs over evil, but on the other hand there are instances where filmmakers have managed to rise above the genre within the plot (for example Stardust). I found The Prince and the King rather redundant, with Elle Fanning brought innocence to the film, but mostly it was all about the conflict between Pfeiffer and Angelina Jolie. I was intrigued by the building of a sort of mythology around Maleficent's origins, yet I felt it felt formulaic and that a little more could have been made of it. In the end, it's nice to look at, but the whole thing lacks any of that deeper moment of surprise. (10/17/2019)