Review of Maleficent (2014) by Jayden J — 25 Dec 2016

Disney's attempt at a re-imagining of ''Sleeping Beauty'' fails to take flight in ''Maleficent'', a film that remakes, and simultaneously destroys, one of Disney's most iconic characters.

The film's attempt to provide a different take on the fairy tale we thought we know fails, as the film ruins the characters of the original movie. Maleficent, the original film's incarnation of pure evil, is turned into a poorly-done tragic character who goes against the entire characterization of the original. She is not the only character who is twisted to the point of being barely recognizable, as the three fairies are turned into bumbling idiots, Prince Philip into a useless comic relief character, and the King into a lazily-written villain who's descent into insanity is unconvincing. ''Maleficent'''s main up-side is its stunning special effects, but even that isn't enough to save this film, leaving it a rather dull experience.