I would say that I am a fan, for the most part, of the Disney live-action films. Maleficent(2014) ranks up there with my favorites (Cinderella is top). And even though she was itty-bitty, it was my neurotic Disney kid’s(NDK) favorite movie, too. It was a perfect mix of scary and sweet; a twisted tale that was executed well. With the announcement of the sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, we were excited. I was curious where this storyline would go and to see the flip-side of the tale between Aurora and Maleficent. Due to scheduling conflicts, NDK could not attend the special screening with me, so my daughter-in-law, a *HUGE* Maleficent fan, gladly tagged along with me.
In short, “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” is a fantasy adventure that picks up several years after “Maleficent,” in which audiences learned of the events that hardened the heart of Disney’s most notorious villain and drove her to curse a baby Princess Aurora. The film continues to explore the complex relationship between the horned fairy and the soon to be Queen as they form new alliances and face new adversaries in their struggle to protect the moors and the magical creatures that reside within.
So, the burning question to be answered here is…what did I think? Without *any* spoilers, let me tell you what you can expect from this movie, and if you should bring the whole family or make it a date night.
Visuals
The visuals for this movie are extremely well done. The CGI is amazing. There is not, at any point, that you will not feel like you are really in the Moors. The creatures of the Moor are ones that you will fall in love with (some are comparable to baby Groot). The three fairies always bothered me with their heads being bigger than their bodies. That did not change (and they still bother me..lol). Maleficent gets a few wardrobe changes in this movie, and they are stunning. Seriously. Angelina Jolie is perfect as Maleficent.
Storyline
Nope, no spoilers here. Not even going to discuss. But I will warn you, have your popcorn and be ready as soon as this movie starts. It is FAST paced and I will admit to feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of it. Everything happens so fast and it is all VERY intense. This story had almost no downtime. It was not hard to understand or follow but progressed rapidly. My advice – don’t blink.
Date Night or Family Time?
I believe everything happens for a reason. I was so sad that NDK, who is 12, couldn’t attend this with me, but after watching the movie, I was really glad that she was not with me. While Maleficent: Mistress of Evil only carries a PG rating, this film takes that PG rating to a new level. This movie does not have any colorful language or inappropriateness, but is chock full of non-gory violence, if that makes any sense. We saw this movie on an IMAX screen, and that intensified every bit of this movie. There have been reviews that have likened it to Game of Thrones. I have not seen that show but can see the comparison. There is a LOT of evil in this movie, and that bothered me. I won’t lie – some parts were hard to shake.
You know your family best. I would not recommend this movie for small children.
Did I like it?
Oddly enough, I did like the movie. Even though the level of evil was a bit more than I would normally watch, the overall story was good. My daughter-in-law *loved* the movie and cannot wait to see it again. I will take NDK to see it, eventually. When I say there is a lot of evil, I’m not kidding. And I’m fairly certain they left the door open for a 3rd movie.
End Credit Scenes?
None. But the song through the end credits is decent enough to sit through.
Do your weekend plans involve seeing Maleficent: Mistress of Evil? Be sure to come back and share your thoughts!
A Disney blooded, crafty, fun-lovin’ wife/mom/organizer/planner, etc who is obsessed with all things Disney 🙂 Maria grew up with the Magic Kingdom and has loved watching WDW evolve into what it is today. A firm believer in the Power of Pixie Dust, she is the owner of The Disney Driven Life – A Community for Neurotic Disney People & a d.i.y. crafty blog, Carousel of Projects – create~inspire~share.
