Even Bitches have a Heart

Maleficent (Mistress of Evil) 

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is a 2019 American dark fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Pictures. It is a sequel to the 2014 film Maleficent, with Angelina Jolie returning to portray the title role.

Starring:

• Angelina Jolie as Maleficent
• Elle Fanning as Princess Aurora,
• Harris Dickinson as Prince Phillip, crown prince of Ulstead and son of King John and Queen Ingrith
• Michelle Pfeiffer as Queen Ingrit
• Robert Lindsay as King John
• Imelda Staunton as Knotgrass
• Juno Temple as Thistlewit
• David Gyasi as Percival
• Ed Skrein as Borra
• Chiwetel Ejiofor as Conall, a dark fey
• Sam Riley as Diaval, a raven who changes into human form
• Lesley Manville as Flittle
• Warwick Davis as Lickspittle
• Kae Alexander as Ini (desert)

Plot

Five years after her father King Stefan's death, Queen Aurora now reigns over the Moors, maintaining order among humans and the fairies and woodland creatures. Maleficent, Aurora’s god-mother remains the strongest fairy and protector of the realm. However despite her good deeds, she is still feared to be an evil witch by the people of Ulstead, Prince Phillip's kingdom.

Maleficent warns Aurora about getting married to the prince after her servant Diaval relayed the news as he overheard Aurora accepted the marriage proposal from Philip. Maleficent believes that the union will end badly. Aurora was able to persuade the fairy to attend a royal dinner where her and Aurora would present themselves to Phillip's parents, King John and Queen Ingrith. The feast quickly escalates into a heated argument between Maleficent and Ingrith, discussing Maleficent's dark past, as well as the missing fairies and murdered humans in the Moors. Maleficent soon loses temper and provokes a fight, seemingly cursing King John into an eternal slumber and fleeing from the castle without Aurora who decided to stay by Phillip's side. On her way to the Moors, Maleficent is hit by Ingrith's servant Gerda with an iron bullet and falls unconscious into the ocean but is saved from death by a mysterious winged creature similar to her.

Maleficent wakes up in a series of underground caverns where she discovers a group of winged and horned fairies of her own kind, among them Conall, their peaceful leader who saved Maleficent, and Borra, a warlike fairy who strives for an open war with humans. Maleficent discovers that she is one of the last Dark Feys, a powerful species of fairies that are almost extinct because of the human oppression. She is also told that her own bloodline ties directly to the Phoenix, an ancient and very powerful ancestor of the Dark Feys, and that is why she wields magic more powerful than the rest of her species. Both Conall and Borra believe that Maleficent is instrumental to end the conflict with humans, either by peace or war.

On the wedding day Aurora discovered Ingrith’s plan of secretly plotting to eradicate all of the fairies and woodland beings, forging iron weapons and inventing a crimson powder that can instantly kill them. She also found out that it was Ingrith who cursed John with Maleficent's old cursed spindle. As the Fair Folk gather for the wedding ceremony in the castle's chaple, they are trapped in and Gerda starts killing them with the powder. They are ultimately saved by Flittle's selfless sacrifice.

The Dark Feys launch an attack on Ulstead but they were welcomed by the wellprepared soldiers until Maleficent, having channeled the power of the Phoenix, joins the battle. She nearly manages to kill Ingrith but is stopped by Aurora who appeals to her good heart, calling her a mother. As the two reconcile, however, Maleficent saves Aurora from Ingrith's arrow and dissolves into ashes. Ingrith proclaims herself victorious but as Aurora weeps over the ashes, Maleficent is reborn in the form of the Phoenix.

Ingrith was transformed into a goat as her soldiers’ were defeated. Maleficent reverts back to her fairy form and gives Aurora and Phillip her blessing. She walked Aurora is the aisle on her wedding day. Maleficent flies away with a group of young Dark Feys after the wedding. She promised Philip and Aurora to come back for the christening of their child.

Blithethough of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

The film displayed more confidence from its preceding film. They were able to hold the level set by the first Maleficent.

The scenes of Maleficent and Aurora are always heartwarming to me. It always displays tough love and you know that it is genuine. Though there is not much when it comes to character development.

Visually, the effects were undeniably spectacular. I personally recommend to watch the film in 3D and IMAX theaters to maximize the details of the design and the gorgeous color bursting everywhere. The cinematography is very cool. The costumes were stunning.

There’s a lot of plot twist that is unnecessary. This plot stretches the time of the film but it did not contributed much on the story line.

The story telling is wasn’t strong enough but I love how they were able to add xenophobia as additional ingredients to its theme. It made the film more relevant. The “Love conquers all” in this film is accepting your neighbor, and the choice not to fight — to lay down past prejudices, accepting differences and try to move forward together.

Although the narrative is a bit weak, Angeline Jolie and Michelle Pfeiffer’s characters were able sustain and carry the film through to the end.

The film is lighter. The battle scene is long and intense. It has plenty of darkness that was offset with love of the purest kind.

The ending was fine but I was expecting more.

Maleficent will always be one of my favorite Disney characters of all time.

Special note: The little Hedgehog like Fairy creature in this movie was the most adorable.