I am intrigued by MALEFICENT. Not because I think it is going to be good or bad but because I cannot figure it out based on the trailers. Sometimes, the previews make it look epic and dark while others make it feel like a bad CGI mess in the vein of SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN or ALICE IN WONDERLAND. But, just when I think I have it all figured out, Disney throws something new at us.
In the latest TV spot for MALEFICENT, Princess Aurora asks Angelina Jolie‘s character why the other fairies have wings and she does not. The response is both chilling and opens up to some flashback scenes that may indicate a much broader scope to this retelling of Sleeping Beauty than previously hinted.
“Maleficent” explores the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain from the classic “Sleeping Beauty” and the elements of her betrayal that ultimately turn her pure heart to stone. Driven by revenge and a fierce desire to protect the moors over which she presides, Maleficent cruelly places an irrevocable curse upon the human king’s newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Aurora is caught in the middle of the seething conflict between the forest kingdom she has grown to love and the human kingdom that holds her legacy. Maleficent realizes that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land and is forced to take drastic actions that will change both worlds forever.
Director Robert Stromberg is the latest director in a string of rookie filmmakers who have been given a big project for a major studio only to have the budget balloon and rumors to circulate about behind the scenes strife. Unlike the issues on movies like 47 RONIN or WORLD WAR Z, we haven’t heard much about MALEFICENT aside from the huge budget and the long production.
I am hoping this at least turns out to be an enjoyable movie. Angelina Jolie seems perfectly cast as the iconic villain. Here’s hoping she is more than just a pretty face.
MALEFICENT hits theaters on May 30, 2014.