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By Sandra Olmsted

In this compelling tale, Maleficent, actually a beautiful young fairy with strong wings that allow her the freedom and joy of flight, has her heart broken by a human, Stefan. Then and only then, Maleficent’s good and kind heart turns dark, and even those who love her are afraid of her. Maleficent, the film, chronicles the tale of two countries which dwell side by side but could not be more different. Ruled by a king, the human kingdom thrives on ambition, greed, and war while the magically country has no need of a ruler because they trust each other and joy and kindness reign until Maleficent’s darkened heart twists the magic to evil and revenge. In Maleficent, director Robert Stromberg and screenwriter Linda Woolverton weave a tale worthy of the Brothers Grimm and ponder whether a heart so broken can ever mend.

Maleficent, the child (Isobelle Molloy), frolics happily with the diverse people of the magical world, and even befriends a human boy, Stefan (Michael Higgins), who bravely ventures to cross the no man’s land between the kingdoms. She loves him when he throws away his iron ring because iron burns fairies. As the years pass, the two teenage orphans’ puppy love become true love for Maleficent (Ella Purnell), but not Stefan (Jackson Bews), who is lured by the power and greed of human ambition.

More years pass, and the adult Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) leads her people when the human king desires the riches of the magical kingdom and attacks her country. The king, gravely injured, offers his throne to any man who can bring him the head of Maleficent, but even Stefan (Sharlto Copley) cannot be that cruel, so he drugs her and burns her wings off with an iron chain. Stefan gets the crown and marries the dead king’s daughter, solidifying his power, but he knows he has used Maleficent’s true love for a terrible act of betrayal, which makes him fearful. When Stefan and his queen have a baby, Maleficent curses Aurora.

On her sixteenth birthday, Aurora will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and sleep forever, unless true love’s kiss awakens her. Maleficent and Stefan know that true love does not exist. The terrified Stefan destroys all the spinning wheels in his kingdom and sends Aurora away to a secret location to be raised by three loyal fairies (played by Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville with the help of performance capture and CGI). While growing up, Aurora sees Maleficent lurking around their cottage in the woods and decides that Maleficent is her fairy godmother. Elle Fanning plays the teenage Aurora and Jolie’s daughter, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, makes her screen debut as the 5-year-old Aurora, supposedly because she recognized her mother underneath the scary costume and reacted without fear to the character Maleficent. Soon, Aurora’s sixteenth birthday approaches, but can Maleficent’s curse be averted, or not?

Graced with fabulous special effects and based Charles Perrault’s story “La Belle au bois dormant” and Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm’s story “Little Briar Rose,” Maleficent, the film, offers an exciting and sometimes frightening ride along with some great plot twists. The top notch acting includes stunning performances by Jolie and Fanning. The inclusion of political themes and the representations of social justice and environmental issues provide the story a backbone as strong and straight as the spine of Jolie’s Maleficent, and Fanning epitomizes love for the natural world in her openhearted portrayal of Aurora, who bears little resemblance to the Disney princess in Snow White , on which this film is also based.

Frequently transformed and combined with organically textured CGI, the actresses and actors, especially Sam Riley as the raven Diaval, Maleficent’s sidekick and spy, embody the characters well despite the challenges of acting with and through CGI enhanced or replaced bodies. Jolie transforms into Maleficent, who sports razor sharp cheekbones and blazing eyes, with the help of prosthetic appliances and contact lenses thanks to creature designer Rick Baker and his team. The costume design by Anna B. Sheppard, the production design of Gary Freeman and Dylan Cole, and the Carey Villegas-supervised visual effects further assist the actors and actresses in delivering exceptionally realistic and sympathetic performances, which speaks volumes about the cooperation of the crew and cast and the leadership of Stromberg. The 3D adds depth and another level of realism to the organic world of the magic folk, the ironclad world of Stefan’s kingdom, and the action scenes of battles. The dramatic score by James Newton Howard complements Dean Semler’s vibrant camerawork, which plays with light and shadow much as was done in Disney’s animated Snow White. For another side of the Snow White story, see Maleficent, an enchanted and enchanting new fairy tale. A Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures release,  Maleficent opens in theaters May 30, is rated PG for sequences of fantasy action and violence, including frightening images, and runs a sprightly 97 minutes.

More of Olmsted’s reviews are available on <www.thecinematicskinny.com> .

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