Maleficent - Review

Oh Disney... we meet again. I feel like the last few times I've reviewed a Disney film, I spent more time talking about the company itself than the film I was reviewing. I admit that's probably not the best approach to reviewing movies, but the choices they've been making the last few years have been drastic... at least compared what they normally. For a company with such an infamous reputation for guarding and protecting their beloved properties to re-invent itself so drastically, it's hard not to notice. Whether they're making biopics portraying their founder as somewhat morally grey (Saving Mr. Banks), adding undertones of sexual repression to their animated fairy tales (Frozen), or using their superhero franchises as a means to critique American politics (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)... you got to give them credit for taking chances. With Maleficent, the first of a proposed line of live action re-imaginings of Disney's animated classics (Cinderella, Beauty & The Beast, and Cruella Deville are supposedly on their way), they did something that I would have never EVER predicted. Not only did they take Sleeping Beauty and dramatically alter the tone, subtext, and characterizations of it's beloved classic... but they basically turned it into a Rape/Revenge horror film... no really! Okay, well given this is a Disney film, most of the alleged "rape" of  is generally implied, though they are some pretty strong implications. Still, if Disney ever decided to make their own version of "I Spit on Your Grave" or "Kill Bill", I imagine it would look something like Maleficent. Still, ambitious ideas aside, does Maleficent live up the hype and the daring premise?

The story begins in the land of the Moors, a magical forest populated by fairies, mystical beings, and other supernatural creatures. The Moors, however, borders a human-ruled kingdom, and tensions between the two realms have become tense. Despite the increasingly violent actions of the human kingdom, a powerful fairy known as Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) protects her fellow fairies. This all changes, however, when a former friend Maleficent, a human named Stefan (Sharlto Copley), betrays her by removing her wings and leaving for dead in an effort to become King. As Stefan takes the throne, Maleficent's heart turns to stone, making herself a dark queen of the Moors and vowing revenge on Stefan. With a hardened heart and a taste for revenge, Maleficent places a curse on Stefan's newborn child, Princess Aurora, so that when she turns 16, that she would fall into a deep sleep in which she would never awaken. To ensure the curse would be carried out, Maleficent watches over the young Aurora, and in the process, discovers something she didn't expect...

Okay, so like I said, turning Maleficent into what is essentially "I Spit on Your Sleeping Beauty" was a risky, daring, and audacious move by the Mouse House. Even more than that, they basically completely changed everything from Sleeping Beauty from the ground up. I knew Maleficent was going to be depicted as a more sympathetic character this time (as compared to her animated counterpart where she was basically evil just because she liked to be evil), but the fact that they basically turned her into a sympathetic anti-hero while making the previously "good" characters like Stefan into the villains was something I would have never expected. Seriously, Stefan is one of the most vile, sleazy, and despicable characters I've seen in a LONG time... family film or otherwise. The three fairies, assigned to protect and look over Aurora are also made into complete buffoons. Seriously, the movie basically made them into the Three Stooges with wings. And like I said, it's Maleficent who is the sympathetic and relatable character that we root for and want to see succeed. She can be evil (which, given the circumstances are kind of understandable) but there's no denying the movie makes her the hero. I don't know if this was necessarily the best direction in which to take this movie, but I have to give them credit for taking a such a chance. I'm just amazed that Disney, who has been infamous for their over-protective nature of their properties, gave the green light to this. Gotta give credit where credit is due.

Unfortunately... risky concepts aside, the film is kind of a mess. Parts of it work in spades and I won't say that there are some truly stand out scenes. The first 30 minutes of the film is where it truly shines with some impressive visuals, a great sense of wonder, and a truly gut-wrenching and heart-breaking opening. It sets the stage perfectly and makes for a great start. It's when the second act roles around where things start to fall apart. This is where the film somewhat abandons a lot of the setup and takes to re-enact scenes from the original Sleeping Beauty. They admittedly do a pretty good job re-enacting a lot of those scenes, but they feel more like filler than anything. They don't really work with the overall narrative, as they open up some gaping plot holes, slow the film down, and presents some kind of iffy subtext that can't be explored properly by the constraints of a family film. The fact that Maleficent starts to come around after watching Aurora growing up is kind of sketchy in the sense that... well, given the rape-inspired context, I'll let you fill in the blanks. I'm not saying that kind of a topic shouldn't be explored, it's just too dark of a subject to explore properly in a Disney Family film (despite the incredible dark subtext present already). By the time the third act roles around and the Sleeping Beauty re-enactments are finished, the film picks up again somewhat. It finds itself getting back into the story it originally was trying to tell and does a decent job wrapping it up... even if the ending feels a bit contrived. As mentioned, there are parts of Maleficent's story that couldn't have been better, but a clunky second act really did kind of ruin what could have been a great film.

Like the story, everything else is kind of a mixed bag. Oscar-winning art director and visual effects artist Robert Stromberg makes his directorial debut with Maleficent. As expected, he brings a creative visual aesthetic to the look of the film. The Miyazaki-inspired look of the forests of the Moors is both as beautiful as it is creative. Solid production design and costumes are all present here as well (can't say that they didn't totally nail the look of Maleficent). The effects themselves, however, are hit and miss. There are some high points, some of the forest creatures are pretty solid and that dragon at the end was pure awesomeness. The cgi, however, for a lot of the characters (namely the three guardian fairies) looked unfinished and completely unconvincing. Some of the action scenes are shot a bit too erratically as well, and leave more than a bit to be desired. Fortunately, the film finds it's true strength in it's cast. Angelina Jolie is so impeccably cast as Maleficent that she almost makes me want to ignore the rest of the film's faults... almost. I knew she was going to kill it with Maleficent's evil nature, but the vulnerability and soul she brings to the character in the more subdued and heart-wrenching scenes could not have been better. There is no doubt in my mind that she was born to play this character, and I can't imagine anyone that could have done it better. Sharlto Copley really piles on the sleaze as King Stefan, and really does contribute to the character's innate nastiness. Elle Fanning finds true grace as Sleeping Beauty herself, Princess Aurora, and continues to prove that she is one of the most talented young actors working today. It's the cast that almost salvages this film and keeps it somewhat afloat... even if the story kind of kills their efforts.

Just for the risky concept, talented cast, and creative efforts, I'm almost tempted to give Maleficent a passing review. The flawed story, hit and miss effects, and iffy direction however kind of ruin that. That said, for it's attempts at feminist deconstruction plus it's connection to it's classic animated counterpart, I imagine this one might live on a cult classic. If that does become the cast, I might have to re-visit it again sometime in the future. For now, however, it's just okay. I can't say for sure whether you'll like Maleficent or not, since I've heard strong opinions in both the pro and against camp... but I'm somewhere in the middle. Take that as you will.

My Score: 2.5 out of 5!

Salt - Review

Salt is an interesting movie. Well, actually the movie itself isn't that interesting but the story behind it is. The script, written by Equilibrium screenwriter, Kurt Wimmer, originally featured a male actor to portay Agent Salt. It was eventually greenlit with Tom Cruise set to star, but problems during production forced Cruise to drop the role, leaving the movie without a suitable male lead. Finding it difficult to find a new lead, the script was rewritten to accommodate a female lead, and Angelina Jolie was chosen as the new Agent Salt.

The movie centers around Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie), an elite CIA agent. Salt is a dedicated, respected, and trustworthy agent, until evidence is presented linking her to a group of Russian spies. Now, with her husband's life in danger and her name is question, Salt goes on the run to discover who is behind this.

Let me address what I wrote at the beginning of this review, "actually the movie itself isn't that interesting." That does not mean that I didn't enjoy the movie, on the contrary, I actually loved it! Its just that the plot... yeah its very generic. If my plot description seems lacking, its because I literally could not think of a creative way to describe such a oft-told story. Once you get past that you have a woman playing a character that is typically male, there's not much to else to get by. The premise was basic, characters were typical, and the ending was incredibly predictable. So like I said, the movie may be good, but its not particularly interesting.

The technical execution of the film is what really made Salt entertaining. I've heard a lot of critics dismissing Salt's action sequences as generic and "been-there-done-that." I understand where they are coming from, but after watching the movie, it occurred to me... for the typical summer blockbuster, what is generic action? Blockbusters nowadays are typically cg-laden, comic-bookish, almost fantasy-like over-the-top action. While Salt wasn't particularly realistic, seeing a movie with human characters doing stunt work not aided by heavy and/or obvious cg was actually quite refreshing. It reminded of movies like Die Hard or Speed, movies that used traditional film making to accomplish cool action scenes. Don't get me wrong, cg has become quite impressive, but its become such a staple of modern cinema, that creativity and imagination has been headed downhill for quite some time.

While Salt was occasionally being slowed down by a basic premise, the movie kept a good pace. The cinematography was surprisingly good for this kind of style. It utilizes the sort of Jason Bourne-ish hand held approach, but tones town the shake-factor so you can actually see what's happening. The action was appropriately erratic but not insane, and the less thrilling scenes didn't rely on shaky-cam gimmicks to increase any moods. For once, a cinematographer actually used this style well. The editing was quick and fast-paced as well. Not much of the movie was dragged out, but instead kept a good pace and didn't lose much of an intensity. It was impressive to say the least.

Acting was pretty standard overall. For a part that was originally intended for a guy, Angelina Jolie was the ideal choice. She brings a good charisma to the character without overdoing it. Plus, she avoids the typical movie cliche of a female agent dwelling on her sexual prowess as opposed to her skills. Of course, while saying Jolie isn't sexy in this movie would be a lie (lets be reasonable, its impossible for her not to look good), they don't dwell on it nor do they exploit it... wise move. The other performances were overall good. Nobody else really stood out, though Liev Schreiber did his usual good job.

The ending of Salt was left often for a sequel and possible franchise. If you ask me, they might have been a bit too optimistic to bet on this kind of concept to keep going. It was a fun movie, but the storyline wasn't nearly compelling enough to repeat itself, nor was the action breathtaking enough to leave one wanting more. A solid action movie, but I would be very surprised to see this one continue.

I give Salt 4 out of 5! A bit generous maybe, but it hit most of the right notes.