Maleficent: Mistress of Evil review with discussion questions by the Elf
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil review
Know Before You Go:
Movie: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
Rating: PG
Age Suggestion: 8+*
Running Time: 1 hour 58 mins
Release Date: October 18th, 2019
Stars: 2 1/2 out of 5
Themes: Loyalty, Obligation, Love, Heroism, Fear and Evil, Family
Warnings: *There is a lot of violence implied and shown, it’s sanitized (very little blood actually shown). However, there are some fairly dark topics and a handful of dramatic scenes that could scare, or bore, kids younger than 8.* Complicated family, parental death and illness, and violent action sequences are front and center in this film.
Quick Summary:
No more is Aurora a sleeping princess, now she rules over the Moors and is about to embark on the adventure of marriage. Where as Maleficent, the fiercest protector of the magical land, is discovering where she came from. Maleficent and Aurora explore family obligations and bringing together bitter rivals in this anti-hero sequel.
The film tried to tackle one too many story lines. It was absolutely an entertaining, and visually beautiful, watch but felt more like a summer popcorn flick than a Disney movie. There were some good points but this is not a plot you want to over analyze. Very little of these two movies resembles the original, animated, Sleeping Beauty and for being the title character Maleficent did not feel like the main character of the movie. I enjoyed the movie but felt like something was missing. That being said, it was a clean movie and a fun theater experience.
Warning: SPOILERS beyond this point
Movie Discussion Questions:
1)If you were turned into one of the characters from the movie, which would it be?
2)Fear was a huge motivator for the main villain and the heroes in this movie- how did they handle fear differently?
3)What was your favorite scene in the movie?
4)If you moved into the Fey cave, which group would you want to live with? Jungle, dessert, etc…?
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Review:
Characters & Acting:
-Almost everyone from the first movie came back in the sequel with the exception of Prince Phillip. The actor that played the character in the first movie was busy with a long list of film projects. It was not a terribly distracting actor replacement.
-The acting overall was wonderful but the script was lacking.
-I really enjoyed the anti-hero story line. It was great seeing what motivated and moved the anti-hero, Maleficent, and the villain onto their respective choices and paths.
Script & Story:
-There were so many awesome directions that the story went in. Unfortunately, it never really followed any of those directions far enough. There was too much focus on making the movie breathtakingly beautiful and not enough on Maleficent’s character or the script. While there were a lot of holes in the plot, it was still an enjoyable storyline.
Film Quality:
-Visually stunning is an understatement. I was blown away by the cinematography as well as by the creative, magical, creatures. This is absolutely the biggest thing that this movie has going for itself. The costumes are also very impressive.
Favorite Moments:
-The proposal scene was so very sweet and cute!
-Diaval trying to keep Aurora and Maleficent on the same page and together was really great, loved all his scenes.
-Phillip’s unwavering support of Aurora was wonderful.
-There were too many visually beautiful moments to isolate just one, but that was definitely one of my favorite parts of the movie.
Was this movie deserving of a sequel?:
-Neither of these movies met my expectations for a Disney live action movie. Neither film was bad, they just were not as deep as I was hoping they would be. I did enjoy them though and thought that the second one built on the first and might even be considered better than the first.
Overall, not my favorite Disney movie, but it was a really enjoyable watch. And it does remind audiences that how you respond to your anger and fear matters. Plus, Maleficent is one of my favorite villain characters. Which villain would you like to see a movie made for?
What to check out next:
-If you enjoyed our Maleficent Mistress of Evil review you might enjoy our reviews of The Addams Family, Dark Crystal the Age of Resistance, Descendants 3, Lion King, and Aladdin.
-Check out the first version of Maleficent and some Maleficent 2 items here.
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