Maleficent: Evil Has Never Been This Good

Courtesy: moviefone.com

After a break of four years, a mother of six children decides to make a comeback as Maleficent - the legendary villain, who scared children all over the world. Wow!

When I first saw the promotions, I wondered why Disney chose to cast Angelina Jolie as Maleficent.  Not that I ever doubted her acting caliber – the lady can pull off any kind of role. But yes, I still did wonder. And so I watched the movie. Trust me, nobody else would have looked so perfect and at ease with those horns, heels and gown train.

The action sequences, the deep voice and definitely the looks – she fitted them all. Now, those of you who haven’t watched the movie would wonder why it would be necessary for Maleficent to look good. My answer would be to stop thinking about the image, which Grimm’s fairy tale or Disney’s 1959 cartoon, has carved into your brain and watch this movie, for it has so much more to offer.

I super liked the narrative methodology adopted for this movie – more so because it’s the villain’s point of view but not narrated by her. According to me, this aspect makes the story even more believable. Hats off to the Disney team! So what if the subject is old? They will always have something new to offer. With Maleficent, it’s like they have dived into the age old fairy tale, manicured the rough edges and filled in so many blanks that we never even bothered to notice. Linda Woolverton has done a magnificent work with the script. You get hooked on to the screen from the very first narrative script, “Let us tell an old story anew and see how well you know it.”

Maleficent is among the few villains who isn't related to the protagonist of the story. Her attire and form is very unique. In fact, she is probably the only villain who is termed as a fairy and not a witch. I love the way all these factors have been utilized to add more cream to the story.

Wiki says if Angelina refused the role, the producers probably wouldn't have made Maleficent. Oh my! I so completely agree with them. I wonder how she has deftly managed to appear calm and menacing at the same time. She looks drop dead gorgeous in this fairy tale; and not once, when the script demands it, does that virtue stop her from making your heart pound with fear. Jolie, I read, practiced telling tales to her children in different voices, before she froze on the voice she would give Maleficent. I am sure that’s among the least of the veteran’s home works for the role, because I am not exaggerating it one bit when I say that, she has nailed it!

If I haven’t read it wrong, one of the main reasons for Disney to cast Vivianne Jolie-Pitt, Angie's daughter, was because she would be the only one who wouldn't get scared of her despite her scary look for the movie. Having said that, I congratulate Angelina and Brad for training their daughter and a tight hug to the little one who made it through. Had it been my son, the darling would have strictly asked me to remove those horns and the bewitching gown; be it on the set, on screen or in the house.

It's hard to believe that this is Robert Stromberg's directorial debut. What an awesome job! I loved the amount of detailing that has gone into the movie. This is especially true when it comes to the raven, Diaval, Maleficent's sidekick. I was awed at the plumed wolf, horse and dragon. The land of the moors is a spectacular sight. We just end up wishing we had such wonderful creatures on earth.

In the entire movie, I frowned at King Stefan’s accent changing at least three times, if not more. It looked like he kept travelling around the world during the making of the movie, aiming at picking accents for his role, that he got confused which one he really liked. Also, according to me, in this version of the tale, King Stefan handing over Aurora to the fairies to bring her up until she turns 16, is not very convincing. Besides these, I enjoyed pretty much everything else.

The best part about this fantasy flick is that, though it attempts in telling a whole new version, it doesn't skip any key points - the wall of thorns, the dragon, the raven, etc. - everything’s there. All of it just has a different story to tell. Another aspect that keeps me vouching for Disney’s creations is that they re-image their own version of Grimm’s fairy tales, but they ensure they don’t kill the predecessor. The cartoon is still good and has enough of detailing that a cartoon demands. The movie has more detailing because adults need more of it. Even someone who is not very familiar with fairy tales, but enjoys animations, wouldn't need an SME while watching the movie.

All this and a whooping $700+ million collection worldwide – well, well, well; what a grand celebration!?!

Revisiting Disney: Tangled

Disney's fairy tale versions have never ever failed to amuse and amaze me. The elements they add into their movie adds flavor to the original story. The most fascinating part is that their version actually makes the age-old fairy tale seem to be an outline story. All fairy tales, I am sure, is extremely dear as they have added a lot of color and dreams to our growing years. Experimenting with a conventional story line is quite a risky job. 

Unlike other fairy tale versions that Disney has created, Tangled has quite a few deviations from the original plot of Rapunzel. Tangled enhances the original Grimm brothers’ story of Rapunzel, especially since it provides a more justifiable reason for Rapunzel's extraordinary hair length and her being locked up in an isolated tower.

In short, the adaptation is amazing and enchanting. Disney cartoons have always been entertaining, intriguing and a visual splendor. Tangled is no exception!

The Plot:

Mother Gothel uses the healing powers of a magical flower to stay young and rejuvenated. Yes, kinda like the botox effect! However, before long, her secret flower is discovered and is used to heal the queen who is both ill and pregnant. The queen recovers and very soon gives birth to cute little Rapunzel with golden hair. Mother Gothel realizes that the healing power of the magical flower is now instilled within the princess’ golden hair. That’s right! It works the Newton way… energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it’s transferred from one form to another. In this case, it is from flower to hair. Old Mother Gothel kidnaps the child and rears her as her own in an isolated tower, so that she can make good use of the power Rapunzel’s hair possesses. Little Rapunzel grows into a zealous teenager and along with her grows the urge to see the outside world. She meets Flynn Ryder, a bandit who scales this tower to escape the royal guards. They strike a deal in which she gets to see the world. The journey that unfolds forms the main plot of the movie.

The Screenplay:

Dan Fogelman has done a brilliant job with the screenplay. Like I mentioned before, as you see the movie you know it’s a lot different from your fairy tale but that doesn't stop it from completely consuming you with what’s going on screen. The dialogues are hilarious. I try chalking out a personal favorite, but there are SO many. The opening dialogue of Flynn Ryder, the sequence of dialogues Rapunzel delivers while she contemplates if getting down the tower was a good or bad thing to do, Flynn’s dialogue about his ‘wanted’ poster, Mother Gothel’s ‘Skip the drama, stay with Mama’ – the list runs endless.

If there’s any shortcoming I can think of – it’s just one. What’s with absolutely no lines for the king and queen?

The Music:

The music does justice to the movie and is definitely portrayed well. However, none of them are catchy enough to stay and dance on your lips. When I say catchy, the songs on my mind are the ones like the Bear Necessities from The Jungle Book or Under Da Sea from The Little Mermaid, etc.

The Direction:

I’d give a golden star to both Nathan Greno and Byron Howard. The art is amazing. It felt like a traditional animated hand-drawn film and yet it had the 3D effect. That was simply brilliant! The expressions of the characters are hilarious. Maximus, the royal horse, Pascal, the pet chameleon and Flynn Ryder needs special mention. They are the ones that bag most of the laughs and applause. The voice direction was perfect. From Rapunzel to Mother Gothel or the thugs, all of their voices completed the look and feel of the characters that they were portraying. I liked the narrative style with which the movie moves forward.

Any flaws? Well! When I spied with my little eye, I caught Rapunzel’s inconsistent hair length. It kept varying from scene to scene. Also, the scene which portrays Rapunzel’s self-realization was vague, in my opinion. A little more detailing in that area would have been a good idea.

The Cast:

My review would not be complete without kudos to the complete cast of Tangled especially Mandy Moore (Rapunzel), Donna Murphy (Mother Gothel) and above all Zachary Levi (Flynn Ryder/Eugene)

The Verdict:

It’s a 9 on 10 from me.