Day 804: Maleficent

With a Maleficent backstory on Once Upon A Time, I figured I should finally get around to watching Maleficent, which I bought ages ago and just didn't watch until now. Everyone, of course, raved about the movie, but I suppose I had a bit of a different opinion by the time I reached the end. So I guess we'll start with what I didn't like just so we can get to what I did, because overall yes, I did like the movie.

I think the whole fairy tale crazy is a little weird for me, especially since I'm an avid fan of the show that really began the whole reboot of fairy tales. Once Upon A Time, which premiered in 2011, was the first time in ages a fairy tale has really been thrown totally upside down and now we see this whole trend as films such as Maleficent and now Cinderella return with new twists. On top of my watching Once Upon A Time, that love inspired an extreme interest in fairy tales, and I've found through English that when I eventually have to focus on one thing for a portfolio in the future, it will be on fairy tales of some sort.

Which means that the idea that it was Maleficent that provided True Love's Kiss just wasn't that impressive to me. I mean, the new "thing" with fairy tales is that true love's kiss isn't always shared between a couple and that it's not the only answer. We saw it in Frozen with the act of true love between two sisters, and we've certainly seen it on OUAT, where at the end of Season One, Emma placed True Love's Kiss on her son Henry, therefore breaking the curse over the town. And for that reason, I saw the whole "surprise" of Maleficent coming from miles away. Plus, with Captain Hook as a favorite character, I can definitely always see a villain as a hero now...so that didn't really sit well with me either. It's all a great idea, and I'm all for exploring the fairy tale, but it's been done before in my book. An interesting twist on Sleeping Beauty? Yes. Surprising? No.

On the other hand, I really loved the costume design, visual effects and makeup. Maleficent's wings, for instance, were spectacularly done (and on that topic, the cutting of the wings part really made the movie worthwhile for me...as did the idea that it wasn't Maleficent herself that turned into a dragon). The acting throughout was great as well, and therefore, I found that I enjoyed the film.

I am, on the other hand, eagerly awaiting my turn to see Cinderella, as I have the feeling I'll enjoy that one much more. Fairy tales are about retellings that examine something in our world, our society, and Maleficent just didn't do that for me, but I have a good feeling that Cinderella will. We'll have to get to the theater to see it before I can make any final calls though (and it sounds like my roommates and I will be heading to see it soon!)

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on March 16).