Maleficent

[kaijunexus]

My wife dragged me to Maleficent yesterday and I was certainly not expecting much...but, I have to say, I really did enjoy it. That movie is nothing without Angelina, but she really elevates it something better.

 

[DCW]

My wife dragged me to Maleficent yesterday

Same for me, haha. Jolie was excellent in this and the visuals were stunning sometimes, everything else was just ok. The fairy's really rubbed me the wrong way. I thought they were annoying through the entire thing.

My favorite line was when Maleficent was looking at the baby and said

Spoiler

"I hate you."

Got a good laugh from everyone in the theater.

Lots of people at my showing seemed to love it. I don't think it was terrible, just not great though I appreciate I'm not the target audience for this. I'd give it a 7/10.

 

[samsnee]

I think it's a portmanteau of Malevolent and Magnificent. And yes, it doesn't sound like it should be a heroic name. In fact, it could be one of the best-sounding villain names invented. Even the name itself sounds scary.

I don't mind knowing where she came from, but I would prefer that it doesn't turn out she's actually benevolent (otherwise she should be called Beneficent) but that we just see her journey to the dark side. Maybe she could even have originally been called Beneficent (a really good and benevolent fairy who looked beautiful and not scary at all) but her turn to the dark side also involved a change of name to something more malevolent, and her physical appearance changed as a result of dabbling in the dark arts or striking up some kind of deal where she sold her soul.

And we find out she invented C-3PO as well.

 

[terry78]

geez you guys getting dragged.everywhere.by.your wives make.marriage.sound so.appealing
.

 

[samsnee]

geez you guys getting dragged.everywhere.by.your wives make.marriage.sound so.appealing
.

Well we would have gone to Home Depot but we didn't have enough time.

 

[Spidey-Bat]

Just take the name itself. The name itself sounds like it should be the name of an evil demon or succubus. Maleficent sounds like some evil perversion of like Magnificent or Excellent. So maybe that should not have even been her real name. Doesn't sound like it should be the real name of a benevolent leader and protector of fairy tale and mythological creatures.

Maleficent is derived from maleficus, which is the Latin word for "evil-doing."

 

[Bullseye1]

I dragged the wife along to see this and we both loved it

 

[X Knight]

I just saw it and really enjoyed it! Better than what I was expecting.

Jolie was great in the role, and I really loved the raven, Diaval.

I even teared up during one key scene.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I just saw it and really enjoyed it! Better than what I was expecting.

Jolie was great in the role, and I really loved the raven, Diaval.

I even teared up during one key scene.

Nice to see I'm not alone in enjoying this on it's own terms. There is a strong emotional connection to the classic version of Mal from SB, and to that story in general, but if you can get over that you can appreciate this film as a very well made fantasy adventure.

 

[TheVileOne]

Maleficent is derived from maleficus, which is the Latin word for "evil-doing."

OK, so there you go. It makes no sense for the just, benevolent leader of a group of fairy tale creatures to have that name.

 

[mclay18]

It is by far the single most boring film in the Disney animated catalog. It's only saving grace is its design.

Um, you've left out The Aristocats, Cinderella, Robin Hood and The Sword in the Stone. Those are infinitely more boring and dated than Sleeping Beauty.

I can see where people are coming from on Sleeping Beauty in terms of the main character and Prince Phillip, but there's a simplicity to the story that works. And the original Maleficent owns that movie, she was awesome.

 

[green]

Eyvind Earle's artwork in Sleeping Beauty is enough to warrant a watch from me.

 

[mclay18]

Eyvind Earle's artwork in Sleeping Beauty is enough to warrant a watch from me.

The artwork in Sleeping Beauty is flat-out gorgeous. Not just the designs and shading, but the animation itself is a thing to behold.

I don't think any other Disney film has rivaled SB in terms of artistic design... except Frozen and the Disney 1990s Renaissance films.

 

[green]

The artwork in Sleeping Beauty is flat-out gorgeous. Not just the designs and shading, but the animation itself is a thing to behold.

I don't think any other Disney film has rivaled SB in terms of artistic design... except Frozen and the Disney 1990s Renaissance films.

Agreed on the first part.

 

[jmc]

It looks awesome because they decided to use 70mm Cinemascope film as opposed to the usual 35 mm film, which meant the artists had to do twice the amount of detailing as they normally would on conventional animated movie, the result is mind blowingly awesome art. I believe it was the first animated movie to use 70mm film but I don't think Disney employed the technique again due to the extra time it took to create the art. I think even Walt himself looked at the film more as an art project than a story project.

 

[Wheels]

Um, you've left out The Aristocats, Cinderella, Robin Hood and The Sword in the Stone. Those are infinitely more boring and dated than Sleeping Beauty.

I can see where people are coming from on Sleeping Beauty in terms of the main character and Prince Phillip, but there's a simplicity to the story that works. And the original Maleficent owns that movie, she was awesome.

I remember more characters from Sword in the Stone. I remember Archimedes, Meriln, Madam Mim, and Wart. I remember quite a few scenes like Meriln turning Wart into a squirrel and the female squirrel chasing him around,. It's slow and it feels like you're auditing a class but it's stuck with me more than Sleeping Beauty that's for sure.

 

[Lighthouse]

Really, really did not like this movie.

 

[mclay18]

It looks awesome because they decided to use 70mm Cinemascope film as opposed to the usual 35 mm film, which meant the artists had to do twice the amount of detailing as they normally would on conventional animated movie, the result is mind blowingly awesome art. I believe it was the first animated movie to use 70mm film but I don't think Disney employed the technique again due to the extra time it took to create the art. I think even Walt himself looked at the film more as an art project than a story project.

It certainly is a gorgeous piece of moving art. The scenes in that movie that I remember the most is the iconic "Once Upon a Dream" sequence, the hilarious scene of Flora and Meriweather dueling over Aurora's dress color, the mesmerizing set piece of Maleficent leading Aurora to the spindle, and that superb Phillip-on-dragon fight.

As for the live-action movie, I thought it was okay. The thing about Maleficent is that it tries to eat its cake and have it too. Turning her into an anti-hero doesn't sit well with me. Jolie was awesome in the role (definitely channeling Eleanor Audley in the earlier scenes), but Sharlto Copley was painful to watch. Hearing his South African accent bleed into the Scottish accent he did for Stefan was more hilarious than terrifying.

Elle Fanning was obviously picked for being age-appropriate for Aurora, but she didn't really look the part. Wait, scratch that. (Some scenes she did embody that loveliness of the animated Aurora.) Brenton Thwaites looked really dorky as Prince Phillip, mostly due to that awful mullet.

And the narration was a bit too on-the-nose. Janet McTeer was an inspired choice for it, especially pulling off the awkward lines at the end.

 

[CB Fan]

I loved this film! I wish they would have had the balls to tell a story about a villain and not make them the "hero", but for what the story was I enjoyed it. The visuals are amazing and Jolie is absolutely a joy to watch.

 

[Incarnadine]

It looks awesome because they decided to use 70mm Cinemascope film as opposed to the usual 35 mm film, which meant the artists had to do twice the amount of detailing as they normally would on conventional animated movie, the result is mind blowingly awesome art. I believe it was the first animated movie to use 70mm film but I don't think Disney employed the technique again due to the extra time it took to create the art. I think even Walt himself looked at the film more as an art project than a story project.

It looks like CinemaScope is making a comeback. Frozen was the first full length movie in many years to be shot in CinemaScope, and the first Disney animated movie since Lady and the Tramp (1955) to be shot in CS.

 

[X Knight]

Nice to see I'm not alone in enjoying this on it's own terms. There is a strong emotional connection to the classic version of Mal from SB, and to that story in general, but if you can get over that you can appreciate this film as a very well made fantasy adventure.

I also think it helps if you like ravens.......lol.

I do, obviously, so this movie was like raven heaven!!

Pretty bird!! t:

 

[Dark Raven]

I also think it helps if you like ravens.......lol.

I do, obviously, so this movie was like raven heaven!!

Pretty bird!! t:

What's so special about ravens?

 

[Arach Knight]

Um, you've left out The Aristocats, Cinderella, Robin Hood and The Sword in the Stone. Those are infinitely more boring and dated than Sleeping Beauty.

I can see where people are coming from on Sleeping Beauty in terms of the main character and Prince Phillip, but there's a simplicity to the story that works. And the original Maleficent owns that movie, she was awesome.

Sword in the Stone is my favoite Disney movie. Robin Hood is a close second.

 

[Tanin]

My girlfriend went to see it with her mom. She told me it was a wonderfully done film and to not expect Sleeping Beauty and I should like it.

Her mother was disappointed and wished she hadn't seen it.

I'll see it on DVD ^_^

 

[X Knight]

What's so special about ravens?

They are smart, beautiful, and magnificent birds.

speaking of which, I wonder just how many times they used a real raven vs a CGI one for Diaval. Obviously, some parts, like when he bows, have to be CGI.