Movie: Maleficent

I remembered that recently during the trailers when I was in the cinema for Rurouni Kenshin, I saw a trailer for Beauty and the Beast.  While churning out fairy tale-based movies isn't new in Hollywood, these fairy tale flicks in recent years had been given the special effects, mega bucks treatment and a few twists along the way.  

A few months ago, I saw Maleficent...

Maleficent  (2014, Action|Adventure|Family)

The Prince is so non-essential to this film, he isn't even on the promo material.

One of the fairy tale villains, Maleficent is a that fairy lives in and guards a forest kingdom full of magical creatures. In her youth, she befriends a human, Stefan, from the next kingdom but when they were older he had left her to pursue his ambitions.  The neighboring kingdom's king seeks to acquire the magical kingdom but was thwarted by Maleficent and her powerful allies. Stefan sees this as an opportunity for himself to gain favor with the king and so returns to Maleficent.

Among the Hollywood fairy tales that have come out in recent years like Red (Red Riding Hood), Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (Hansel and Gretel), Snow White and the Huntsman (Snow White), Jack the Giant Slayer (Jack and the Beanstalk), Maleficent was the most geared for children.

Obviously, the biggest selling point of this film was Angelina Jolie.  While the movie itself needed a big star to carry the title role, she was also a big draw for anyone beyond high school age.  She's the reason I watched this, and I suspect the same reason other non-child carrying patrons in the cinema had to see this.  

Elizabeth Olsen as Aurora was charming on screen yet the character itself was a little daffy. While I understand that the movie is Maleficent so the movie should revolve around Maleficent, it's still a shame that not much value was given for the other characters.  

The King was nutters, and the Queen was a footnote.  The chambermaids had more screen time than her.  The fairies were a tool in this movie, given no further value than to move the story along or to give the required comic relief.  The Prince was, well, they're not really given much value in fairy tales to begin with so I guess there's nothing lost there. 

The pacing is okay but I feel that the story itself drops as if to prepare for the action.  Remember the prince?  Yeah, I guess that's what the film makers thought as they shoved him in there. 

It's a visual treat, and meets the 'standard' points of a Sleeping Beauty story, tries to be different, but essentially isn't all that satisfying.

Spoilers ahead!

Among the things that didn't sit well to me was the third fairy's missing gift.  I guess her gift should have been 'sensibility' which our dear Aurora was lacking. Aurora, you're willing to just leave your aunts for a godmother you've only actually recently met?  Gosh, I know your aunts are bonkers and can hardly feed you, but they mean well, and spent years taking care of you and in a moment you just decide to leave them?  And your Dad, I know he was an egotistic jerk but he still died.  Your mom, did you even ask for her? Well, I guess if the film makers forgot about her you can too.

Why give Aurora to clueless fairies?  And where did they live because it seemed to me as if they lived closer to the Maleficent's forest than to the castle?  You're afraid that a opponent's curse to your daughter might occur, so you send her away to live with fairies you barely know, to a place which might actually be closer to the forest where your opponent lives?