- Warning: There are minor spoilers ahead for “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.”
- The sequel to the 2014 hit revolves around an impending wedding for Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip.
- The real scene-stealers of the film are Maleficent (Angelina Jolie), Phillips’ mother, Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer), and all of Maleficent’s stunning outfits.
- Some of the forest creatures are a bit nightmarish and the film’s plot is fairly predictable.
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“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” is action-packed and surprisingly funny, if a bit predictable at times.
Several years after the first film, Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip want nothing more than to get married. Unfortunately, their mothers Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) and Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer) rather start an all out war between humans and faeries before they let their children become betrothed.
The “Maleficent” sequel has the highs of “Avatar” as it travels into a mysterious fairy-filled world and the lows of George Lucas’ 2015 flop “Strange Magic.” Magic aside, it’s the hostility and brewing war between Jolie and Pfeiffer’s characters and their masterful performances that make the sequel worth a watch.
Why you should care: It’s the sequel to 2014’s hit ‘Maleficent’ and Angelina Jolie’s first big onscreen appearance since 2015’s ‘By the Sea.’
Jolie is back as Disney's most iconic villain in another story where, it turns out, she's really not the villain at all. She's just misunderstood. Michelle Pfeiffer joins the cast this time around as Prince Phillips' mother, Queen Ingrith, and Chiwetel Ejiofor plays a fellow Fey named Conall.
Do I need to watch the first film to understand the sequel? No.
If you don't have time to rewatch the first film before seeing the sequel, don't worry. Disney does was it does best by summarizing what you need to know about Maleficent and her relationship to Aurora and her missing parents pretty early in the film. By the film's end, it actually ties pretty neatly into the first film.
What's hot: The performances from Jolie, Michelle Pfeiffer, a 'Game of Thrones'-like red wedding, and every costume Jolie's Maleficent wears.
You're not going to watch this sequel for the story of Prince Phillip and Aurora's impending wedding. They're two of the most boring, bland people in this entire movie. Michelle Pfeiffer's Queen Ingrith boils Aurora down as someone who rules by running around the moors barefoot with flowers in her hair, a line that will make most of the adults who are taking their kids to theaters undoubtedly chuckle.
Thank goodness for the addition of Pfeiffer as a conniving queen and Jolie's return as the one to go toe-to-toe with her. Not only do they make this mostly unnecessary sequel bearable, but pretty good as you're sucked into the brewing tension between the two mothers until it comes to a head in the film's tremendous third act.
If you had told me going into "Mistress of Evil" that there would be a giant action sequence reminiscent of "Game of Thrones'" killer red wedding, barricaded doors and all, I would have thought you were mistaken. That's way too dark for Disney! But they pull it off for what are about the most enjoyable 20 minutes of the film. Queen Ingrith is essentially the film's Cersei Lannister.
Jolie reminds you why she's an Oscar winner. She livens up the film any time she's on screen. Whether it's for a mere one-liner or an entire scene, Jolie has the ability to make you fully focused not just on her delivery but engrosses the audience in how she responds to any scenario with the smallest movement in her eyes.
Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick ("The Greatest Showman") did an impressive job making Jolie's scene-stealing looks. Though she also designed eight gorgeous dresses for Ingrith, fans will be talking about the red-carpet ready attire Jolie showed off. The actress looks absolutely stunning in every scene whether her hair is tucked away or wrapped around her face to make her look timeless. I'm expecting to see a lot of cosplay inspiration come from Maleficent's looks alone.
By the film's end, you may have a new idea of who you want to dress up as for Halloween.
What's not: Any of the magical forest creatures and pixies and a pretty predictable plot
Do you remember George Lucas' Disney movie "Strange Magic"? It's a 2015 animated musical released by the Disney after he sold Lucasfilm to them. It flopped at the box office and was filled with fairies and pixies and a bunch of other magical creatures that looked kind of creepy.
I couldn't stop thinking about it any time sequences with any of the magical creatures in "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" came on screen. For a company that makes beautiful movies and has the capability to make animated rain look realistic in "Toy Story 4" and oceans look lifelike in "Frozen 2," the VFX of the forest creatures in "Maleficent 2" are kind of crude and underwhelming.
Aurora's three fairy godmothers are the strangest-looking of all and some of the most annoying characters Disney has ever put on screen. Even Maleficent gets fed up with them. A few minutes into the movie, Jolie tosses them away with a flick of her wrist. It's probably why there's so little of them in a franchise where they were some of the most beloved characters in the original.
The biggest complaint some may have with "Maleficent 2" is that the plot is pretty predictable. It won't take you long to figure out Pfeiffer is the film's real villain. (Let's be honest. If you watched the trailers and thought Pfeiffer wasn't playing some sort of villain then you simply weren't paying attention.) In the end, the film's predictability didn't bother me so much since the film delivered a few key surprises by its end.
Aside from the movie's end, there are moments where Jolie soars through the sky with other creatures like herself. It truly feels like a moment out of Fox's (now Disney-owned) "Avatar" when the Na'vi soar through the sky on banshees. It's a fun moment, but fans could point to it as uninspired.
Overall: If you enjoyed the first 'Maleficent,' you'll like this. Go for Jolie and Pfeiffer.
Screenwriter Linda Woolverton once again makes you feel compassion and empathy towards one of Disney's darkest villains. Aurora and Prince Phillip's wedding aside, "Mistress of Evil" puts a message of tolerance and peace between two warring nations front and center. A few dark moments during the film may scare little ones, but the sequel itself isn't frightening.
If you're a big Disney fan, there's one nod to the end of the original 1959 animated film and the sequel has a satisfying and unexpected link to the first movie by its very end.
Grade: B
"Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" is in theaters Friday. You can watch a trailer for the movie below.
