Maleficent - Lady of Evil arrives in theaters after the excellent success of the first chapter which narrated the events of Malefica and Aurora, Sleeping Beauty in a different key to the animated version. Returning in the role of the witch will have benefited our beloved Angelina Jolie? This time around, the American actress wasn't the only prominent woman in the film, as she was in fact holding her own Michelle Pfeiffer, who, net of a more stoic role than the mobility linked to the witch's wings, has been able to make the most of his character. Yes, we know what you're thinking: it's a movie Disney and all in all, themes such as fantasy in live action will always be a little bit green, devoid of the violence that a medieval-like world would evoke; yet we were pleasantly surprised.
Out of the Moor
As many of you will remember, the previous chapter ended with Aurora who ended up being crowned by Maleficent herself (who became godmother of the princess) with the title of Queen of the Heath, all after having met the handsome Philip, prince of an adjacent kingdom. The empire of Aurora's father has been "lost" in the sense that the monarchy has ceased and now the people are self-managing, while Philip and Aurora are contemplating getting married. Although Philip's family looks kindly on Aurora, on the contrary Maleficent seems not to be the most welcome in the kingdom. Queen Igris, Philip's mother and King Stephen's wife, is plotting something.
Well, net of not revealing anything beyond what has been done now, we can tell you that the plot unfolds in a rather linear way, with relatively important twists that bring the film to completion in a masterly way. Michelle Pfeiffer is a great antagonist, capable of being loved and hated at the same time, while Elle Fanning in the role of Aurora we found her sufficiently insipid, perhaps her character is too soft for her way of acting but the fact remains that she has not been able to convince us. The role of men in this production is marginal to the point that Prince Philip, played by Harris Dickinson, is almost entirely useless for the plot, which, mind you, is not a bad thing, let's say that it is a film that puts women in the front row, following the trend of "girl power" that Disney now seems to have fully embraced. What to say about Angelina Jolie? Cold and sweet, thoughtful and impulsive: in one word, perfect in her role.
Mistress of evil or good
The title of the film, Maleficent - Lady of Evil, did not convince us very much, as of evil in this version of Malefica there is really nothing and honestly it seemed to us a forcing that communicates the character in question in a wrong way; of course, in the original cartoon Maleficent is probably one of the most articulated villains in the Disney world, to the point that she herself despairs saying "I'm a shame to the forces of evil", as if to brag about the Elite she feels part of while here witch is more mother than evil: she worries about Aurora, does everything she can to see her happy at all costs, just like any mother would.
In short, net of a title that does not do justice to the character, on the whole the film is enjoyable and could also leave room for a third chapter. Costumes and scenarios turned out to be truly avant-garde while the world that moves around the protagonists appears more alive than you think, a clear sign of the painstaking attention paid to every smallest detail. They didn't make us crazy about the battle or the fight scenes which are always devoid of that wickedness and that much feared blood that cannot be shown in Disney productions, which leaves a bit of a feeling of distortion: although the film seems to be designed for children, the themes and scenes treated are more adults than you might imagine and that's missing that feeling of realism at certain times.
