If you are looking for a live-action version of the old Disney film "Sleeping Beauty", then you will be in for a BIG disappointment. Instead, "Maleficent" is a lot like a re-inventing of the old story. While some might say this is horrible, it must be remembered that there is no ONE definitive tale of "Sleeping Beauty". Perrault wrote down this and other French fairy tales (such as Cinderella) but they, like the Brothers Grimm stories in Germany, were folk tales--ones with many, many variations. So, if you look at the film as just a variation of the old story, it's much easier to enjoy.
In this version, you get back story as to who Maleficent was--both when she was nice and when she turned mean, much because of a jerk-faced King who was nasty to her (Sleeping Beauty's jerk of a father). While I thought all this had way too much CGI and was at times very distracting, I did love the 'love's first kiss' angle--one that flies in the face of the ludicrous love at first sight crap!
My verdict is that this certainly is no classic but the story is worth seeing. Neither brilliant nor an abomination--it reminds me of some of the newer children's story books such as "The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig" or "The True Story of the Big Bad Wolf"--stories that stand the older versions on their heads!
In this version, you get back story as to who Maleficent was--both when she was nice and when she turned mean, much because of a jerk-faced King who was nasty to her (Sleeping Beauty's jerk of a father). While I thought all this had way too much CGI and was at times very distracting, I did love the 'love's first kiss' angle--one that flies in the face of the ludicrous love at first sight crap!
My verdict is that this certainly is no classic but the story is worth seeing. Neither brilliant nor an abomination--it reminds me of some of the newer children's story books such as "The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig" or "The True Story of the Big Bad Wolf"--stories that stand the older versions on their heads!