Rating of
1/4
'Maleficent' Casts a Spell of Boredom
Unknown - wrote on 06/02/14
I had no desire to see this film. To me, this looked like Disney cashing in on one of their familiar brands. And that's exactly what it is, a soulless money throwing exercise. To be fair, the money is up on the screen. But all the creativity, movie-making craft, and entertainment are left behind. The visuals, pretty as they may be, are CGI overload! Nothing real to latch onto here besides the human actors. Those actors are given zero to work with, due to the poor writing. This isn't a live-action retelling of the famed animated Disney classic 'Sleeping Beauty'. This is an entire overhaul of that story. Nothing is the same besides the setting, character names, and some relationships. Okay, a brand new story. I could go along with the idea. NOT in this case. The new story is the one major flaw that brings down the entire film. It's just so stupid. Not only do we see a lame origin of Maleficent, but we also see her as the hero in all but one scene. Yes, for 98% of the movie, Maleficent IS the hero. Only one instance of actual villainy (bestowing the curse). What a damn waste of Angelina Jolie. What a waste of everyone. The main characters lack any personality, the side characters and attempted humor are annoying, and the drama doesn't work at all. 'Maleficent' is one big boring mess.
