Review by Mr. Will Wong
Fans of 2014’s Maleficent go deeper into the titular character’s mind in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and see the stakes upped in this gorgeous-looking battle for dominance led by two queens.
Taking place five years following the events of Maleficent, we see Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning) set to wed Prince Phillip (Harris Dickinson). The union uniting two kingdoms could at long last see peace and harmony between humans and the mythical creatures of the Moors. Phillip‘s mother Queen Ingris (Michelle Pfeiffer) is intent on taking this opportunity as a guise to extinguish Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) and the fairies. Her sights are set on dividing and conquering, igniting a rift between Aurora and her stepmother Maleficent. A war ensues, where unexpected alliances are formed. Will this divide Aurora and Maleficent forever?
Joachim Rønning (Kontiki, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales) takes the reins in this Sequel, heightening the excitement as we see two fierce queens duke it out for supremacy. Pfeiffer is deliciously-evil and ruthless, overtaking Jolie‘s Maleficent as the villain this go around. And Jolie makes a long-awaited return to the big screen. Though she spends much of the Film exploring Maleficent‘s scorn, rejection and vulnerability, ultimately the Movie belongs to her and her commanding presence. While Fanning and Jolie deliver a great daughter-mother chemistry together, it is Sam Riley‘s Diaval and Jolie  paired that gives some welcome tonal shifts to the comedic, humanizing Maleficent.
While this visually-stunning installment certainly is leaps and bounds more ambitious than the first, it succeeds even if it might be a tad scary for its intended audience.
Walt Disney Studios Canada release MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL Friday, October 17, 2019.
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