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Maleficent Review Roundup: What Do Critics Think of Angelina Jolie's Evil Performance?
If you're anything like us, you're going to see Maleficent this weekend because you want to see a horned, frightening, yet still freakishly beautiful Angelina Jolie casting evil on a sweet, innocent princess.
And while the critics seem to unanimously agree that Jolie is fantastic playing the villain, there is some doubt amongst them as to why the plot layout and special effects don't seem quite up to par with her acting skills.
Variety's Andrew Barker, for example, took issue with the pace of the film, saying it would have "actually benefit[ted] from some slow-paced indulgence." And while while he found some of the bonding scenes between Maleficent and Elle Fanning's Princess Aurora character to be "rough and rushed," he praised Jolie as being "perfectly cast...and [doing] work despite substantial physical constraints. She spends the entire film wearing a prosthetic nose, cheeks, teeth and ears, with moon-sized contact lenses and a bulky set of horns atop her head."
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Barker also praised Jolie for being able "to command the screen as well as she does" and, unlike some of his critical contemporaries, he lauded the "exquisite" special effects in the film,writing, "...the armies of art directors, costumers and effects technicians aim for the spectacular with every shot, and nail it with impressive consistency."
The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw was impressed with Jolie's "fierce screen presence," too, saying the Oscar nominee "is becoming the Sophia Loren of our age." Fanning, however, was "entirely upstaged by Jolie," he wrote. And while consistently floored by Jolie's performance, Bradshaw wasn't as enamored with the plot, writing that he wants to see the actress "in a grownup film."
Digital Spy critic Ben Rawson-Jones gave Maleficent three out of five stars, calling Jolie's "mesmerising portrayal of the titular character" the film's "only consistent element." He disliked plot transitions "handled dismally," "atrocious" 3D effects during the first third of the movie and said the film "straddles the line between magnificence and misery." Unlike the Guardian's reviewer, though, Rawson-Jones credited Fanning for playting a solid Aurora, writing that her role "could have been nausea-inducing due to sweetness if played by a lesser actress."
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Conclusively, though, Rawson-Jones thought the actors' portrayals saved the film, writing, "...The consistent splendour of Jolie's spellbinding portrayal, the energetic presence of Fanning and a rousing climax that reinforces classic moral values go a long way to salvaging this uneven production."
Similarly, USA Today's Claudia Puig praised Jolie, who is "at her best in vicious mode," calling her "mesmerizing in her ability to strike terror." Puig credited Jolie for "[pulling] off the thinly written part by adopting a commanding presence," but ultimately, found the script to fall short. "Disney missed a golden opportunity to tell a bewitching story," she wrote, "and instead gives audiences a muddled revisionist tale with stunning visuals."
Maleficent hits theaters May 30.
Jolie is the reason you see Maleficent
Angelina Jolie is easily the best thing about Maleficent.
She's mesmerising as Disney's iconic `evil' fairy, with her piercing iridescent eyes, blood red lipstick and razor-sharp cheekbones.
For their latest film, Disney have mined their 1959 animated classic Sleeping Beauty for inspiration. The result: to tell us the truth about how Maleficent came to be, similarly to what Wicked did with the Wizard of Oz villain.
In Jolie's hands, there's a complexity to Maleficent. She manages to be vulnerable, vengeful, sorrowful - in fact, you feel more sorry for her than anything.
And her commanding presence is even more stunning when you consider how much CGI she was working with, on top of the facial prosthetics and contact lenses.
But the story itself is very simple and can be plodding at times. It's helmed by fist-time director Robert Stromberg, the Academy-award winning production designer of films such as Avatar and Oz the Great and Powerful (which this is reminiscent of). So visually, the world is beautiful and the costumes exceptional, but the pacing is a bit off.
Too much time is spent on parts like the slow opening, while the precious moments that Maleficent and Princess Aurora (played by Elle Fanning) share feels rushed, as does Aurora's time in eternal slumber.
Maleficent deviates from the animated classic from the beginning, with the kingdom of humans at odds with the magical moors, filled with fairies, trolls and tree guards not unlike The Lord of the Rings' Ents.
We meet a young winged Maleficent, who becomes friends with, and eventually falls for, an orphan boy Stefan - who later becomes king (played as a paranoid adult by Sharlto Copley).
In this version ambition and greed is the real villain. When Maleficent is betrayed it's horrifying. And Jolie's reaction, filled with rage and loss, is impressive. Let's just say it wasn't King Stefan's best idea to cross the most powerful fairy alive.
The film contains a number of direct nods to Sleeping Beauty, such as Maleficent's sweeping entrance to Princess Aurora's christening where the curse is laid, and the bumbling three fairies.
What's surprising in Maleficent is how funny it can be, thanks to her interactions with crow sidekick Diaval and with Aurora, first as a baby, than as a cute-as-a-button infant (played by Jolie's own daughter Vivienne) and finally as a giddy teen.
Jolie is a wonderfully deadpan Maleficent, with a mild disgust and bewilderment at the child she calls "Beastie".
As Aurora, Elle Fanning isn't given a huge amount to do, except grin and play with magical CGI creatures, but she's likeable in the part.
Although it has some problems, Maleficent is enjoyable and ends fittingly with Lana Del Rey's sultry, dark take on Once Upon a Dream.
Most people will see Maleficent for Angelina Jolie and on that point, they won't be disappointed.
* Maleficent is out in Australian cinemas now
