My first impression of this film is that it’s going to frighten the living daylights out of a fair number of children, particularly those of a younger age. My second thought is: gritty reboot alert. Even Disney’s on the bandwagon now?
Well, no, not really. Maleficent is what they in film land like to call a “reimagining.” As those familiar with the titular antagonist will know, this is a remake – of sorts – of Sleeping Beauty, and also sort of a prequel. The key thing is that here the story is told mainly from the perspective of Maleficent herself, here played by Angelina Jolie.
A good idea? Yes. Original? Not entirely. Rumour has it that a similar idea was pitched a few years back, by the name of Nottingham. The script followed none other than the wicked sheriff of said region, apparently investigating a string of murders against the backdrop of the Robin Hood universe. This sounds like it had a lot of promise, but, unfortunately, long-time Hollywood-ers had other ideas. It seems odd that more time spent in the industry seems to mean more allegiance to financially foolproof, diminished-creativity thinking rather than less. But, as the story goes, Ridley Scott himself vetoed most of the innovative material and gradually turned the script into 2003’s Robin Hood, featuring Russell Crowe following pretty much the original legend, only with some gloomier war material added for contemporary tonal relevance and all the random nonsense from the Kevin Costner outing removed.
Now we’re getting off topic, but the point stands: once in a while an original idea comes along and manages to make it through the industry mincing machine. This can be especially powerful when it’s based around a classic, immortal tale and backed by the major studios – which is why it’s such a shame that the fabled Nottingham never appeared. What’s more, it’s a directorial debut. This is exciting stuff for all concerned.
Well, no, not really. Maleficent is what they in film land like to call a “reimagining.” As those familiar with the titular antagonist will know, this is a remake – of sorts – of Sleeping Beauty, and also sort of a prequel. The key thing is that here the story is told mainly from the perspective of Maleficent herself, here played by Angelina Jolie.
A good idea? Yes. Original? Not entirely. Rumour has it that a similar idea was pitched a few years back, by the name of Nottingham. The script followed none other than the wicked sheriff of said region, apparently investigating a string of murders against the backdrop of the Robin Hood universe. This sounds like it had a lot of promise, but, unfortunately, long-time Hollywood-ers had other ideas. It seems odd that more time spent in the industry seems to mean more allegiance to financially foolproof, diminished-creativity thinking rather than less. But, as the story goes, Ridley Scott himself vetoed most of the innovative material and gradually turned the script into 2003’s Robin Hood, featuring Russell Crowe following pretty much the original legend, only with some gloomier war material added for contemporary tonal relevance and all the random nonsense from the Kevin Costner outing removed.
Now we’re getting off topic, but the point stands: once in a while an original idea comes along and manages to make it through the industry mincing machine. This can be especially powerful when it’s based around a classic, immortal tale and backed by the major studios – which is why it’s such a shame that the fabled Nottingham never appeared. What’s more, it’s a directorial debut. This is exciting stuff for all concerned.
The plot maintains its Disney allegory roots with a few nice twists. The creators have billed it as “the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain” and rumours of an R rating and some thrillerish elements are abound. It begins with a flawless young woman leading an idyllic life in a woodland kingdom, forced early on to defend the land against nasty invaders. Her pure-heartedness is shattered by a ruthless act of betrayal, turning her into the dark, horned, sharp-eyed and rather scary-looking villain who will be taking on the interestingly ambiguous central role, potentially giving her young audience nightmares whilst teaching them a moral lesson in less-than-typical Disney style. During the conflict, she places a curse on the invading king’s infant daughter, Aurora, only to discover that she is the key to the regaining of peace and harmony in the kingdom. What’s more, the girl seems to have known it from the start.
In essence, then, this is an origin story for an antagonist, peeling away the straightforward film of pure evil that shrouds her and turning her into a complex, three-dimensional character. Sure, this sort of thing has been done before, but not with a Disney baddie. Next we’ll have a tale of the turbulent childhood and frustrated political career of a misunderstood, seven-foot Arab named Jafar.
As is common with any kind of fantasy film, particularly these days, Maleficent is set to be visually impressive. The trailer shows a thorny forest summoned out of the ground, floaty, ethereal fairy-type creatures reminiscent of Avatar (please note, that was not a compliment to the latter film) and plenty of epic blue screen (or green? I don’t actually know the difference) landscape shots. This, however, is unlikely to be masking any other shortcomings. This looks like an interesting film, a thoughtful take on an old tale and something that, creativity-wise, we could do with seeing more often in our big-budget efforts from across the pond.
In essence, then, this is an origin story for an antagonist, peeling away the straightforward film of pure evil that shrouds her and turning her into a complex, three-dimensional character. Sure, this sort of thing has been done before, but not with a Disney baddie. Next we’ll have a tale of the turbulent childhood and frustrated political career of a misunderstood, seven-foot Arab named Jafar.
As is common with any kind of fantasy film, particularly these days, Maleficent is set to be visually impressive. The trailer shows a thorny forest summoned out of the ground, floaty, ethereal fairy-type creatures reminiscent of Avatar (please note, that was not a compliment to the latter film) and plenty of epic blue screen (or green? I don’t actually know the difference) landscape shots. This, however, is unlikely to be masking any other shortcomings. This looks like an interesting film, a thoughtful take on an old tale and something that, creativity-wise, we could do with seeing more often in our big-budget efforts from across the pond.
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