We sent Amy to check out the premiere of Maleficent last night. Here is what she had to say
Once Upon A Dream…yes, the song is still playing in my head even 16 hours later, and it’s lovely!
Disney has re-imagined the classic favourite Sleeping Beauty (one of my personal favourites) and taken us back to the story but from the villainesses point of view with their latest imminent hit: Maleficent.
Angelina Jolie is the star and while I’m personally not usually a huge fan of her, I am now. They simply could not have cast the role better, she was fantastic. Her performance really did an excellent job of showing the other side of the story.
I intentionally stayed away from watching all of the ads and reading the hype around the movie, I am one of those people who likes to be surprised, and I was, very very happily.
As I didn’t know what to expect and had literally seen only a couple of the trailers I was curious how this was going to work and when the movie opened and was bright and cheery with young Maleficent, I knew this was going to be something wonderful.
We are taken on the journey from Sleeping Beauty, but from before her father was even king and follow Maleficent and find out why she became who she did, what drove her (and no spoilers, but it’s not what you think and in my eyes, she was totally justified, hmpf, take that Stefan!) and how she changed and grew.
It really is a love story ultimately, but in an innovative way. It’s also about redemption and encourages you to look further than just the surface in a given situation.
The cast was fantastic too. Elle Fanning did a great job as Aurora and I must say, the scene with Angelina’s actual daughter Vivienne was BEYOND adorable. Imelda Stauton, Lesley Manville and Juno Temple were fantastic as the three fairies and the comic timing between the three of them had me giggling repeatedly. As an aside, it was nice to see Imelda in a role other than that of the evil Dolores Umbridge…Harry Potter fans will recognize her immediately, and she was in pink too LOL.
I won’t spoil the plot, but the action sequences are fantastic and not overdone as a lot of movies are now. The CG isn’t overdone either which also makes a difference for me. Perfect for Disney and Sleeping Beauty fans…I’m not sure I’d take the littler kids to see this one though, they might do better with it at home later on due to some scary moments with battles and dragons.
Definitely worth a trip to the theater to see this one on the big screen for the rest of us though. My rating , five stars for sure!
A never-before-heard Lana Del Rey rendition of “Once Upon a Dream” was unveiled as part of a 90-second sneak peek of Disney’s “Maleficent” during the 56th Annual Grammy Awards® on Sunday, January 26. “Maleficent” releases in theatres on May 30, 2014.
Award-winning, American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey has recorded a unique reimagining of the renowned fairy-tale tune from Disney’s classic animated film “Sleeping Beauty,” which will feature in the end credits of the upcoming Disney film.
“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.
The film stars Angelina Jolie as Maleficent, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville.
“Maleficent” is produced by Joe Roth and directed by Robert Stromberg, with Angelina Jolie, Don Hahn, Palak Patel, Matt Smith and Sarah Bradshaw serving as executive producers. Linda Woolverton wrote the screenplay. “Maleficent” opens in theatres on May 30, 2014.
For more information, check out Disney.com/Maleficent, on Facebook: Facebook.com/DisneyMaleficent and use the official hashtag #Maleficent.
Thank you Amy for the great Review. Sounds like a great movie to see.