Maleficent

[X-SOLDIER]

If the movie is that visually stunning then

Spoiler

her not turning into a dragon is even more stupid.

That's not the only break point for me,

Spoiler

I hate the backstory she was given, it's absolute shitty movie cliche that has been overused to death and does not do one of the greatest villains of all time any sort of justice.

Speaking as someone who unabashedly loved the shit out of the movie, I think that I'd have hated everything about the idea of it if I'd read a summary of the movie and heard

Spoiler

that she didn't turn into a dragon, because tbqfh her being an utter badass and turning into a dragon were really THE reasons that I was going to go see this. Period.

I VERY likely would've agreed with that io9 article before seeing the film, but after having seen it, I couldn't disagree with it any more if I tried. It's a blind case of not seeing the forest for the trees about what the film Maleficent was - which was the version of the "Sleeping Beauty" story told from a different perspective, and it misconstrues a lot about the character's motivations in the film. (This comment does a decent job of expressing my opinion: http://io9.com/i-disagree-entirely-i-never-got-the-love-for-the-orig-1585376142 )

Again - I remember next to nothing about Sleeping Beauty, which means that ymmv, but it's still absolutely worth seeing. Also, as I stated in my review - there is a CLEAR reason that Diaval is turned into a Dragon rather than Maleficent herself -- and that's especially important to the narrative of the film.

X

 

[Tennyo]

Spoiler

I dunno, Elsa and Anna barely spoken to each other for years since the accident in the beginning of the movie, so I don't think their bond felt genuine by that point either.

I actually think Maleficent was a lot better than Frozen

Nah, Elsa/Anna was a lot more believable.

Spoiler

Even if they hadn't spoken for years, Anna had her memories, and she never lost her desire to be close with her sister again. It was a far better setup than in Maleficent, where she's building a bond with a girl she has little to no history with other than hating her father and trolling the fairies who are raising her.

 

[Ami]

Spoiler

I knew she wasn't going to be the dragon from the off-set, call it a feeling if you will. But seriously, if you're not going to watch the film because of that, then you're lame imho. That's not the focus point of this whole thing, it's Maleficent's initial revenge from having her wings stripped and then her finding redemption through Aurora. Hence the whole "true love" thing.

She didn't even realise that she'd loved this young girl as her "fairy godmother" all along and that's the true beauty of the story, not the sleeping or Aurora part.

 

[Animexcel]

Nah, Elsa/Anna was a lot more believable.

Spoiler

Even if they hadn't spoken for years, Anna had her memories, and she never lost her desire to be close with her sister again. It was a far better setup than in Maleficent, where she's building a bond with a girl she has little to no history with other than hating her father and trolling the fairies who are raising her.

Spoiler

Sure, but Elsa is the one who breaks the spell with 'true love', not Anna. She's the one who's avoided her and decided to run away. Maleficent watched over Aurora throughout her whole life(that's plenty of history up to her 16th birthday) and looked after her while the fairies were doing a poor job; saved her from falling off a cliff and had her fed while she cried. I felt their relationship strengthened over time and the times they hung out in The Moors.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Spoiler

Sure, but Elsa is the one who breaks the spell with 'true love', not Anna. She's the one who's avoided her and decided to run away. Maleficent watched over Aurora throughout her whole life(that's plenty of history up to her 16th birthday) and looked after her while the fairies were doing a poor job; saved her from falling off a cliff and had her fed while she cried. I felt their relationship strengthened over time and the times they hung out in The Moors.

Not to mention

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that there are numerous parallels to Maleficent's own early life (greeting all the fairies, feeding the deer, etc). that reminds her of all the happiness that she had that had NOTHING to do with Stefan. I think that the key is that Maleficent's love has to do with finding someone (Aurora) who brings her and her people real happiness like they all had before Stefan set her on her path to vengeance.

She realizes that that path is destructive and revels in his misery, but she loves Aurora because it's her who brings back all the happiness to the Fey's lives - including her own that seemed to be gone. Again - the true protective parental type love overcoming everything that the lie about false romantic type love took from her.


(Not speaking comparatively to Frozen as I still haven't seen it)

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[Celes Chere]

I don't see it being bullshit that she didn't turn into a dragon, the dragon still exists just not in the way you think. It doesn't make it bad imo. I actually liked it a lot more that way.

I also agree that Maleficent is way better than Frozen. If we're talking about a rushed plotline and love not being convincing, Frozen takes the cake. (as much as I did love the movie)

 

[Carlie]

Spoiler

I knew she wasn't going to be the dragon from the off-set, call it a feeling if you will. But seriously, if you're not going to watch the film because of that, then you're lame imho. That's not the focus point of this whole thing, it's Maleficent's initial revenge from having her wings stripped and then her finding redemption through Aurora. Hence the whole "true love" thing.

She didn't even realise that she'd loved this young girl as her "fairy godmother" all along and that's the true beauty of the story, not the sleeping or Aurora part.

Except I very clearly said in my last post that that was not the only deal breaker for me:

That's not the only break point for me,

Spoiler

I hate the backstory she was given, it's absolute shitty movie cliche that has been overused to death and does not do one of the greatest villains of all time any sort of justice.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Except I very clearly said in my last post that that was not the only deal breaker for me:

Hence why I mentioned that this is one of those times where it is MILES better in execution than in summary.



X

 

[Ami]

Precisely what X said. You might see the summary and read it, but you haven't SEEN the film.

 

[Tennyo]

Spoiler

Sure, but Elsa is the one who breaks the spell with 'true love', not Anna. She's the one who's avoided her and decided to run away. Maleficent watched over Aurora throughout her whole life(that's plenty of history up to her 16th birthday) and looked after her while the fairies were doing a poor job; saved her from falling off a cliff and had her fed while she cried. I felt their relationship strengthened over time and the times they hung out in The Moors.

Wait, I'm confused.

Spoiler

Anna is the one who thawed her own frozen heart with her own act of true love which was sacrificing herself to save Elsa. Anna's act of true love is what made Elsa realize that love was the secret to controlling her powers. But Elsa did not realize this until after the fact.

Elsa was the one who shut out the world out of fear, but Anna never let go of her childhood memories. She loved Elsa based upon what they had done in their childhood, and she never stopped.

In Maleficent, we see Maleficent spend nearly sixteen years hiding in the shadows acting rather nonchalant since she only cared about getting back at Stefan the entire time. She then randomly hangs out with Aurora in the Moors two or three times and suddenly loves her unconditionally.

I can understand Maleficent deeply regretting her actions, but true love it is not. Perhaps if she had interacted with her more over the years, but they didn't really start hanging out until not long before Aurora's sixteenth birthday.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Wait, I'm confused.

Spoiler

In Maleficent, we see Maleficent spend nearly sixteen years hiding in the shadows acting rather nonchalant since she only cared about getting back at Stefan the entire time. She then randomly hangs out with Aurora in the Moors two or three times and suddenly loves her unconditionally.

I can understand Maleficent deeply regretting her actions, but true love it is not. Perhaps if she had interacted with her more over the years, but they didn't really start hanging out until not long before Aurora's sixteenth birthday.

Spoiler

We kind get the montage version of Aurora growing up, but they interacted more than just a couple times. She was being cared for by Maleficent at a distance through Diaval long before they two of them ended up ever interacting in person (or in person in a way that Aurora remembered). As she grew up, Maleficent's attitude changed little by little with things like baby Aurora wanting to hug her, and seeing Aurora coax out and feed a deer in the woods - just like Maleficent did when she was little. It hit the tipping point the first time that she brought Aurora to the Moors. When she attempted to reverse the curse was when it showed that she cared for Aurora MORE than she cared about her curse affecting Stefan - but despite that her magic wouldn't break the curse. From that point she just tries to make Aurora happy until the curse falls over her and the only reason that she does that is because she genuinely loves her.

Then, when Aurora runs back to her father's castle - despite not believing that true love was real - she ventured into Stefan's castle with Phillip at risk to her own life, knowing that Stefan would try to kill her ESPECIALLY now that the curse had succeeded. While her bringing Phillip to her ultimately failed, I don't think that you can say that she didn't truly love Aurora by that point when she breaks the curse. Knowingly risking your own life for someone else is pretty much the definition of that.

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[Tennyo]

I just simply did not feel it. With the clunky progression of the story and the plot holes in the way Maleficent's magic worked by the time we got to the end of the movie I was simply not convinced.

Agree to disagree I guess, because I still do not see it. It was still an enjoyable movie for the most part, but the flaws really get in the way for me.

 

[Carlie]

 

[X-SOLDIER]

I have to ask - Am I the only one who has never found a single "Honest Trailers" video the least bit clever or amusing? To me it's like cramming all the internet butthurt of every bitchy comments section into a clipshow with a cheap knockoff for a voiceover guy and calling it comedy.



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[The Twilight Mexican]

They're clever sometimes, but they're definitely hit and miss. The "Everything Wrong With ..." series from CinemaSins can be pretty crap too. The one they did for "Signs" harangued every scene in the movie simply for existing.

Apparently foreshadowing that would only ever be obvious on a second viewing is Bad Moviemaking rather than just telling a story with a tried-and-true literary device that you'll get crucified for leaving out.

 

[Carlie]

Most of the time they're funny but some of their Honest Trailers have been terrible specifically their Pacific Rim one and the one they traded with CinemaSins. I think it was The Amazing Spider-Man 2, that was a horrible idea.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

The "Everything Wrong With ..." AS2 was pretty great, though, I really must say.

 

[Carlie]

Because that had the Honest Trailer voice but the Honest Trailer had the CinemaSin voice which didn't work at all.

 

[trash panda]

I just watched this the other day and I stayed awake the whole time. I felt like I didn't waste my money at redbox. Thumbs up.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Looks like they might be making another one, and I am completely happy with that.




X

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Looks like Angelina Jolie is in for a second one. Yay! http://screenrant.com/angelina-jolie-confirms-maleficent-2-involvement/





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[Super Mario]

I hope it will be as enjoyable, if not better than the first.

 

[lithiumkatana17]

Looks like Angelina Jolie is in for a second one. Yay! http://screenrant.com/angelina-jolie-confirms-maleficent-2-involvement/





X

I'm just wondering what the heck they're even going to do for a second one.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Looks like Angelina Jolie is in for a second one. Yay! http://screenrant.com/angelina-jolie-confirms-maleficent-2-involvement/

I'm just wondering what the heck they're even going to do for a second one.

I dunno, but anything that involves more of the cool fey and fantasy creatures, I'm totally all about. Maybe the humans need to team up with them against an outside threat of some kind. There're plenty of potential things. Much like with Snow White & The Huntsman, I just wanna see more pretty fantasy stuffs.




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[Super Mario]

I bet it'll revolve around Maleficent's parents or an evil aunt of sorts that recurses Aurora and Maleficent has to fight for her to reverse the curse or something. Whatever it may be as long as it's a good concept, I am game for it.