Maleficent - Mächte der Finsternis

In 2014, audiences learnt the back-story behind Maleficent, the villainess of Disney's 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty. Rather than being just a cackling sorceress, Maleficent painted its title character as someone who rose from tragedy and betrayal to form a complex bond with the young Princess Aurora. Directed by Joachim Rønning (Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge), this sequel continues that story, pitting Maleficent against a conniving, ruthless new foe.

Angelina Jolie continues to be all sharp-cheekboned perfection as Maleficent. We were afraid that she might phone in it given that this is a sequel, but she still appears to relish the role. Not only does she gets numerous fabulous costume changes, Maleficent goes on a journey of discovering, getting acquainted with her people and learning about their customs and beliefs. There is a conflict between her allegiance to her fae kin and to Aurora, which gives the powerful character something to struggle with.

Much of the film works because of Michelle Pfeiffer. Casting her opposite Jolie was an inspired move. The early promotional materials tried to hide it, but there's no point beating about the bush now - Queen Ingrith is the "Mistress of Evil" of the title. Pfeiffer plays the villain with sneer and swagger hidden beneath a regal façade, with shades of her witch character from Stardust sometimes visible. Coming off like a PG-rated Cersei Lannister, it's an absolute hoot.

There's a lot going on in the plot of the movie, so it is to writers Linda Woolverton, Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue's credit that the movie never loses sight of its emotional core: the relationship between Maleficent and Aurora. They might not be on the same page for much of the film, but it cannot be questioned that Maleficent deeply loves and cares for Aurora, something Ingrith winds up exploiting.

Just as in the first film, the show is stolen by Sam Riley as Diaval, Maleficent's shape-shifting sidekick. Riley manages to be both cool and

While the visuals are often mesmerising and transporting, the film does lean very heavily on computer-generated imagery. This is expected of a fantasy adventure film, but some of the characters do seem unnatural. The Fairy Godmothers Knotgrass (Imelda Staunton), Thistlewit (Juno Temple) and Flittle (Lesley Manville) return from the first film, and their almost-human facial features sometimes cross over into the dreaded uncanny valley.

Prince Philip is boring, but then again, this is something inherent in the source material. Brenton Thwaites, who was busy filming Season 2 of Titans, is replaced by Harris Dickinson, who constantly seems a little bit confused and flat. However, this is also a sign that the film understands that Philip is not the main character, and that he does not have to be the hero to save the day. Chiwetel Ejiofor is almost completely wasted in a relatively small supporting role.

The action sequences in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil are grand and expansive. Like most big-budget high fantasy projects these days, it seems more than a little derivative of Game of Thrones, but the big battle scenes are dynamic and lively. The movie gets surprisingly dark, with the villain's plot involving genocide by way of biological warfare. However, the movie still has a bounce and a sense of humour to it and is never too self-serious the way something like Snow White and the Huntsman and its sequel The Huntsman: Winter's War sometimes were. The big climactic battle takes place in broad daylight, which is a relative rarity in films of this type.

This film has a completely different design team than the first but maintains a sense of visual continuity while also giving us something new. The costumes by Ellen Mirojnick are stunning, especially Maleficent's battle outfit which is a sexy, elegant body paint-style number. Production designer Patrick Tatopolous creates some gorgeous fantasy environments, chief of which is the hidden fae sanctuary comprising mini-environments which have different climates.

Some of it may be overly familiar, but there's still more creativity to this than to Disney's live-action remakes which are obligated to retrace the steps of their animated forebears. Angelina Jolie and Michelle Pfeiffer pitted against each other is worth the price of admission.

The first Maleficent was interesting because it provided a new spin to the tale of Sleeping Beauty by making Maleficent the protagonist. In the sequel, the mother-daughter relationship between Angelina Jolie's Maleficent and Elle Fanning's Aurora is tested as they end up in opposing sides of the war between faer folk and humans. This CGI-filled spectacle does not sound very interesting but the movie is saved by earnest performances of the cast. Jolie is majestic and menacing as Maleficent. Her nemesis, played my Michelle Pfeiffer is no less regal. They elevate the material, and their face off is almost like a scene from Game of Thrones. In fact, there are many parallels to Game of Thrones. Fanning's Aurora and The Prince are as clueless and idealistic as Jon Snow. Maleficent is almost like a horned Danaerys. Another parallel is to Avatar. The faery world is almost like the planet in Avatar. Similarly, their resources are exploited by humans. It helps that Ed Skrein is in the movie, and he chews every scene he is in. All in all, there is no complaint on the acting department. However, the pacing is uneven, and some scenes drag too long. The emotional scenes are their but lack impact. But the climactic battle is worth the wait. There are even some deaths. In other words, Maleficent is a fun cross between Game of Thrones and Avatar. Definitely worth your time

Don't listen to the critics reviews, this is a fun and entertaining watch! It doesn't quite have the same impact as the first, but I still recommend watching/purchasing it!

I enjoyed the 2014 "Maleficent" movie about as much as I enjoyed this one.

First of all, I must say that the story was actually slightly more interesting and appealing than the first movie. Why? Well, there was a more dark and sinister feel to this 2019 "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil". I mean, even just the title itself has that feel to it.

Being a Disney movie, after all, there is an abundance of sugar-sweet scenes as well. And while the creatures in the movie were mostly of interesting design, some of the scenes were just overflowing with that particular Disney magic. But hey, not really a hindrance to the movie, because it does help to set that magical and mystical realm of the faeries feel that the movie needs.

The characters in the movie were good, and I love the evolution of Maleficent and the insight we are given into the character and her heritage.

Visually, then "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" is just downright spectacular. The special effects are simply amazing and dazzling. I love the attention to detail throughout the course of the movie. And the CGI team really worked their magic to top notch quality.

They had a good selection of actors and actresses for the movie. And needless to say that Angelina Jolie is simply so right for the role of Maleficent. Michelle Pfeiffer was also quite nicely cast for her particular role and she performed rather well. I really liked the role of Diaval - as portrayed by Sam Riley. Just a shame that he didn't have a bigger role and part in the movie.

"Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" is definitely well-worth sitting down to watch, and it is suitable for most members in the audience.

My rating of this movie is a seven out of ten stars.

It was kinda predictable, but in a nice, Disney-way... There was a sense of humor, action, fantasy and drama... I really love that Maleficent is more than just the villain,it shows that people have more layers... Also Angelina Jolie and Michelle Pfeiffer in one movie, haven't we all been waiting for that? And upcoming star Elle Fanning showed a soft nevertheless badass Aurora... It's just a shame Brenton Thwaites (prince Philip) couldn't be in it...