When the announcement of this film came out I have to admit I was dubious to say the least. Maleficent has always been my favourite Disney character (yes not villain but character) and it wasn't that I doubted Angelina Jolie's ability to create a villainous persona, but that I was concerned that returning to this classic tale would somehow shatter the childlike perspective with which I viewed the film.
Moreover, Maleficent has consistently been the one Disney villain that people either never knew the name of or couldn't pronounce the name of, therefore she was fairly under appreciated. But in the first 20 minutes of the film it felt as though they were really overworking her name by slipping it in at the end of every sentence.
However the actual production of the film was truly splendid and immersive. I am not someone who frequently wowed by the CGI advancements that one film could make but Disney really went all out by linking realty and fiction to create the imagery of magic.
Where I found issues was with the script. Although brilliantly written the intermittent dialogue of the narrator was really quite aggravating but as an (almost) adult watcher I was forced to remind myself that the film was in fact designed for an audience younger and less perceptive than myself.
So all in all the film was really quite brilliant, and although I feel that Maleficent being unjustifiable evil was good enough the whole cast of the film really focused on the details and seemed to have brought to life the world that was first created back in 1959. I would say that if the Disney team can please even this old Maleficent fan then it is well worth any of you heading off to the cinema to go see it.
