A glossy, star-driven fantasy that retools a familiar fairy tale into a revenge-and-redemption story with some striking imagery and a strong central performance. The emotional idea is better than the execution, but it still has enough style, atmosphere, and subversive fairy-tale energy to work for the right viewer.
Maleficent
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Fantasy · Adventure
Wed · 1h 37m
Director: Robert Stromberg
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Imelda Staunton
Overview
A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. She rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal – an act that begins to turn her heart into stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading King's successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom – and to Maleficent's true happiness as well.
Director
Robert Stromberg
Cast
Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Imelda Staunton
Curator Review
Verdict
A glossy, star-driven fantasy that retools a familiar fairy tale into a revenge-and-redemption story with some striking imagery and a strong central performance. The emotional idea is better than the execution, but it still has enough style, atmosphere, and subversive fairy-tale energy to work for the right viewer.
Best for
fans of dark fairy-tale reimaginings
viewers who like villain-origin stories
people who enjoy big costume-and-production design
audiences looking for family fantasy with a gothic edge
fans of Angelina Jolie's screen presence
Skip if
you want tightly written worldbuilding
you dislike heavy CGI fantasy
you prefer the original fairy tale tone
you want a fully satisfying emotional payoff
you are looking for a sharp, adult-oriented fantasy
Overview
Maleficent works best as a concept: a fairy tale that asks what happens when the “villain” is reframed as a wounded protector, and when love is redefined away from the usual prince-and-princess template. The film’s strongest asset is its central performance, which gives the character a mix of menace, humor, and melancholy that the script doesn’t always earn.
Worth noting
Visually, it has the polished, storybook-opera scale you want from a modern studio fantasy, with enough gothic flourish to make the world feel distinct. The production design and creature work give it a slightly eerie sheen, even when the storytelling feels simplified or rushed.
Bottom line
The movie’s emotional core is sincere, especially in the maternal bond at its center, but the plotting can feel thin and the kingdom politics barely exist beyond the broadest strokes. Still, if you’re open to a fairy tale that is more attitude and atmosphere than narrative precision, it has a durable charm.
Top Letterboxd reviews
👽hayley👽 (3★) · 3854 likes
ok but why do i have a crush on the fucking raven
Sara Clements (4★) · 3257 likes
Maleficent being “true love’s kiss” instead of some boy Aurora met 5 minutes ago fucks me up every time. I owe writer Linda Woolverton my life.
chanel (3.5★) · 2856 likes
no cgi was used angelina jolie can just do that
sam (4★) · 1977 likes
the metaphor when maleficent got her wings ripped off from her is so important and i wanted to bring it up again.
gabi (4★) · 1942 likes
best part is when the man dies and suddenly everything is beautiful and happy again
Themes
reimagined fairy tale, villain origin story, betrayal and revenge, found family, maternal love, redemption, power and vulnerability, magic and kingdom conflict
Topics
dark fantasy, fairy tale revision, gothic, family adventure, revenge, redemption, motherhood, spectacle, CGI-heavy, 2010s