Angelina Jolie returns as the powerful, dangerous fairy in this colourful, energetic and absorbing fairy-tale action film.
After watching the first Maleficent movie, released five years ago, I honestly did not know what to expect for its sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. The original movie was very moving and it was interesting how they portrayed Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) as both the hero and the villain of the movie. The cast portrayed each character very well with their elegance, expression of emotions and even their accents.
However, it is not the same for the sequel. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil introduced new movie characters like Prince Phillip’s family, the Ulstead Royal Family, and fairies of the Fae who are just like Maleficent. While the first movie’s focus was solely on Maleficent and her background, the second focuses on the different ideologies of two kingdoms: the fairies of the Fae and the Ulstead Kingdom. The most intense part that captivated me the most was when Maleficent joins the battle between the Fae and the Ulstead family that was led by Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Borra, a Dark Fae (Ed Skrein).
The film portrayed her as both the protagonist and the antagonist of the movie. Maleficent was first portrayed as the antagonist as she was introduced as a murderer when she killed two fairy poachers. However, she then became the protagonist. The title, ‘Mistress of Evil’, is misleading as I think Maleficent was the hero of the film. The sequel definitely showcased more of Maleficent’s vulnerable side due to her endearing and motherly love for Aurora (Elle Fanning).
As any other fairy tale, the ending of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil was clichéd, but it still brought me to tears. Maleficent struggled so much and dealt with being seen as wicked her whole life when she was just protecting what was hers.
By humanizing a character that has been known to be one of the more vile villains in Disney history, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil sends out the message that there is more to a story than just one side of it, enabling the audience to empathize with the titular character.
It was very touching to see Maleficent believe in love again and expressing genuine happiness at the end of the film. The villain I despised in the original Disney’s Sleeping Beauty (1959) turns out to be one of my favourite Disney heroes today.
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is truly an eye-opening film as it made me realize that there are always two sides to a story and one should never judge a character based on just one side of the story. Coming from someone who enjoys Disney princess films and fantasy films, I would highly recommend this film. This film proves that there is truly no love greater than a mother’s love.
Rating: 4/5
