A review of the movie Maleficent.
When people ask me how I found the movie Maleficent I always respond with a smile and a nod saying “I liked the way the old story was retold.” I wouldn’t say it is a great film because it’s fresh and filled with CG. I believe its appeal was less in the cinematography but more on the literary aspect.
Disney released Sleeping Beauty in 1959 telling the little girls then how one can find true love amidst all the evil lurking in every corner of the world. A charming prince will save the distressed princess and they will end up together and live happily ever after. However, just like in Frozen, I like how Disney is destroying that concept of true love by showing the women of today — who might be the little girls of yesteryears — that princes are not what they need in life to be saved. True love does not fall from a tree or found coincidentally in a forest. It blossoms between two people who care deeply for each other. Love is not always about the romantic type because sometimes familial love is stronger than any other love that exist.
The line that struck me the most was when Maleficent said, “There is evil in this world, I cannot protect you from it.” Somehow, I believe that this part humanizes the character. This is what made the retelling of the story more relateable. When a person accepts the fact that good and evil exists within each individual — within oneself — that person begins to understand how to live. Maleficent achieved this enlightenment which manifested in her acts of remorse and sacrifice. The movie somehow teaches us that when we find the evil in us consuming our mind and heart we begin to see the world as dark and unforgiving. But when we start to love again we begin to see the birghter side of life.
I really liked how they told the story in a different perspective. Overall, I’d give this movie a rating of 9/10. I’d recommend it to people who want to experience the story of Sleeping Beaty differently. But I guess, after Frozen, the idea of True Love was not as fresh as it was supposed to be.
Thoughts on a Cyber Platter 