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In 2014’s live-action adventure, Maleficent, audiences learned the true story of the classic fairy tale villain. But while the story may have taken an unexpected twist in the original, in the follow-up, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, she’s still as dark and scary—and misunderstood—as she was before.
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil once again stars Angelina Jolie as Maleficent. Though things have been relatively peaceful in the magical kingdom of the Moors, the humans who live across the river still fear her. When Maleficent’s goddaughter, Aurora (Elle Fanning), announces that she’s planning to marry Prince Phillip (Harris Dickinson) and join the two kingdoms in a peaceful union, the two families come together for a celebratory dinner that ends in disaster. And as the wedding day approaches, Aurora is forced to question her loyalties, while Maleficent finds herself faced with her own difficult decisions.
It’s certainly no surprise that Maleficent’s second adventure is dark and heavy. The kingdom of the Moors may be bright and vibrant—filled with streams and colorful fields and magical creatures—but this story doesn’t spend much time in the colorful land of the fairies. Instead, it journeys to the neighboring kingdom of Ulstead, where humans still see Maleficent as a dark and evil fairy. But, as it turns out, there’s so much more darkness and evil lurking in Ulstead. Not everyone wants to bring peace to the lands—and the passive-aggressive exchange between the two mothers over dinner is just the beginning of the growing conflicts here.
The rest of the film, then, is marked by bitterness, resentment, and hostility. It’s a film filled with strong, powerful women. In part, it’s the story of Aurora, whose kindness and love make her a thoughtful ruler of the Moorfolk—but whose future as queen comes into question when she accepts Phillip’s proposal. More than that, though, it’s the story of Maleficent, whose deep feelings of anger and betrayal put humanity at risk, and Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer), who has her own dark agendas. And these two characters won’t leave you with an especially affirmative view of women.
The gloomy settings and effects definitely match the tone, and that makes for a striking film. Be warned, though, that the anger and vengefulness of the drama can sometimes be oppressively heavy. Even though some aspects of the story (in true Disney style) just magically work out in the end, this isn’t a feel-good movie. And there’s a good chance that you’ll walk out of the theater feeling almost as dark and moody as the movie itself.
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil isn’t really about the battle of good vs. evil as much as it’s set up as the battle of evil vs. different evil. It’s a striking film but it’s also shadowy and sinister, with an ending that seems a little too tacked-on.
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