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Maleficent is arguably the most compelling diva in Disney’s rogues gallery of villains, so it makes sense that Angelina Jolie, one of the most visually compelling actresses ever to grace the screen, was tapped to embody “Sleeping Beauty’s” horned sorceress. In character, the actress more than delivers, with prosthetic cheekbones and glowing irises accompanying a deliciously aloof attitude, which proves just the right tone for the enigmatic figure. She’s as grand a visual effect as any filmmaker could hope for, which is what makes Robert Stromberg’s cluttered CG palette all the more egregious.
Making his directorial debut, Stromberg previously served as an effects supervisor on “Avatar,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “Oz the Great and Powerful,” and if you thought all of those films shared a comparable, redundant aesthetic, you know what you’re in for with “Maleficent.” Flat-looking creatures both fearsome and friendly run amok in Maleficent’s native fairy land, which is replete with Strombergian bioluminescent flora. All of this feels like an affront not just to the viewer, but to Jolie, who needs no help in the eye-candy department.
Written by Linda Woolverton, who also penned “Alice in Wonderland,” “Maleficent” overloads its narrative too, straining to cook up an origin story while tying it to the hallmarks of 1959’s animated classic. Amid the fracas of fantasy-land wars and the vengeance Maleficent seeks after ex-beau Stefan (Sharlto Copley) steals her wings, characters like Prince Phillip (Brenton Thwaites) are left with mere minutes of screen time. And as it aims to humanize an apparently misunderstood baddie, the film also strips Maleficent of what made her interesting in the first place.
It’s one thing to try to explore the roots of evil; it’s quite another to snuff out that evil altogether, making a formidable character into a vanilla cliché who’s both un-engaging and unrealistic. “Maleficent” is so busy trying to make its eponymous character accessible that even her feminist aspects fall by the wayside. There’s an intriguing maternal element involving Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning) that surely attracted Jolie, but it’s hard to imagine anyone wanting a Maleficent this cuddly.
Maleficent
PG
One-and-a-half reels out of four
Now playing at area theaters
Recommended Rental
Non-Stop
PG
Available Tuesday
You may think you’ve seen enough airplane-set thrillers to last a lifetime, but “Non-Stop,” a film that unfolds in real time, puts a fresh spin on the subgenre, casting middle-aged action star Liam Neeson as a flawed air marshal, who receives hijacker threats come via on-screen text message, which adds aesthetic flair that transcends gimmickry. Though you may see some of the twists coming, the film shrewdly incorporates new media to show you don’t need a gun to spread terror rapidly.
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
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