Viewed – 03 January 2015  online rental

I hesitated about this because I’m not a particular fan of Angelina Jolie … unlike some guys, I don’t find her attractive and well, she is a bit of a diva, isn’t she?  However this was a movie that kept getting name dropped by people I know, saying how good it was and well, suppose I should pass judgement, huh?

That evil queen who cursed sleeping beauty … what if the tale was retold from the point of view of such a wicked sorceress, and showed that hey, maybe she was misunderstood all this time?  An interesting concept and one Jolie pulls off with relish – she was born to play this part and suits the freaky costume, horns, wings (and exaggerated cheek bones) intact.  With a backdrop of enchanted woodland creatures, a wicked king, a beautiful princess and lots of spells and curses – this was easy to get swept up in.   Disney have crafted a very unique spin on a very old tale and has some great moments, such as Maleficent’s battle against the king’s army, then the final epic showdown.  Effects throughout are first class (although some of the creatures look a tad cartoony) and those three fairies were quite entertaining.

That’s not to say it works entirely, as some of the hokey plot dating back to the original Sleeping Beauty isn’t particularity built upon (why a spinning wheel?) and it get’s very predictable towards the end.  Casting isn’t entirely perfect either.  Ella Fanning’s Aurora is rather annoyingly sugar-sweet, and Sharlto Copley’s King Stefan despite a good character ark, seemed miscast.  So yes, this was the Angelina Jolie show throughout, and do you know what?  I still enjoyed it.

A fun, if throwaway fantasy, that does the job … but far from a Disney classic.

Verdict:  3 /5