In this retelling of the classic tale “Sleeping Beauty” the focus is shifted to the villain, and it makes for an intriguing tale with a much more interesting character. “Maleficent” scored big at the box office, a whopping $69,431,298 it’s opening weekend, and is sure to do just as well in the hearts of viewers.
In the original 1959 Sleeping Beauty film, Maleficent was portrayed as just pure evil, doing bad things just for the heck of it. In this film the viewer gets to see Maleficent grow up and see what made her into the evil fairy seen in the original film.

Maleficent is a kind and merciful fairy as a child, but a vicious act of betrayal turns her cold. Stefan, a human she befriended as a child and fell in love with, cuts her wings off while she’s sleeping in order to secure his spot on the throne. Maleficent takes out her anger on his daughter and casts the infamous curse on her. Maleficent says that on her sixteenth birthday Stefan’s daughter, Aurora, will prick her finger on a spindle and fall into a sleep-like death from which she can only be awakened by true love’s kiss.
Angelina Jolie as Maleficent is truly stunning, her performance is flawless (almost as flawless as Maleficent’s cheekbones). Whether the scene calls for Jolie to be heartbreakingly devastating, wickedly evil, or reluctantly happy, she executes it perfectly and truly allows the viewer to empathize with Maleficent. Elle Fanning has the perfect fair complexion and pure and gentle demeanor to play a perfect Aurora.

The film tells the story in a way that’s new and exciting and explores the themes of love, betrayal, and evil in a new way. It’s an entertaining story with lovable side characters, specifically the airhead trio of fairies that care for Aurora and Maleficent’s right hand man (/raven/whatever animal she feels like turning him into) and external conscience, Diaval.

The movie’s exciting,fresh take on a classic story and characters earns it a five-star rating, now showing at all Cinemark theaters.

By Sienna Mata