One is always wary of any remake, but this Sleeping Beauty story really delivers. We see the story mainly from the perspective of the "villain", Maleficent, a fairy unaccustomed to the cruelty of man, but who quickly learns.
Angelina Jolie plays Maleficent, and she is sensational. One critic wrote that it was her best role since Girl Interrupted, and I would agree with that. Her presence and facial expressions are truly remarkable. The rest of the cast are rather drab compared to her, and while some people thought Sharlto Copley did a great job as King Stefan, I've always disliked him as an actor. Sleeping Beauty and the Prince are as stereotypical as you'd expect them to be.
The story is action packed, with some good magic and special effects and moments of excellent dialogue, but there are some twists in the tale that are both surprising and pleasant.
8 out of 10 large wings
I liked the retconning of the three fairies into useless idiots, which is how they always struck me. Aside from that, I'd have called it "The story of massive over-reactions to everything". I did like the more amusingly reasonable approach to the prince and true love's kiss. I also thought they threw in a lot of stupid things that made no sense, just to conform to the visual aesthetic of the cartoon. The giant iron thorns in the palace, for one, and young Maleficent's make-up, which made her look like Arya Stark turned street walker, just because a fifty year old cartoon image of the adult version had red lips.
Other than those annoyances, it wasn't bad.
“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.” GK Chesteron
Inde muagdhe Aes Sedai misain ye!
Deus Vult!
*MySmiley*
