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Four of us were invited to see an early screening of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and our reactions couldn’t have been more different. This is why I wanted to write a separate review of the film sharing why my teen daughter and I COMPLETELY disagree.
Maleficent Mistress of Evil Review
Let me quickly sum-up how I felt about this film for those of you who don’t want to scroll. Did I laugh? Yes. Did I cry? Oh yeah. But the newest Maleficent film got real dark, real fast.
I wasn’t sure if this would be more of an origin story or a continuation of where the first Maleficent movie left off, and it turned out to be the latter. I didn’t find it as clever as the first (which reminded me of one of my favorite Broadway shows, Wicked). While I knew/hoped it would end well (after all, it is a Disney film), I feel like I spent most of the film in angst.
From a family-friendly perspective, this installment is rated PG and that’s a true rating. You’ll find quite a few fighting/battle scenes, but nothing overly gruesome. For me, there was more sadness involved in the callousness from some of the acts. But after all, the title of the film does include the word “evil”, so perhaps I shouldn’t have been as shocked as I was.
Why My Teen Daughter and I COMPLETELY Disagree about the new Maleficent
I mentioned four of us attended the early screening. That included me, my 13 yo son, my 15yo daughter and her 15 yo friend.
Let it be known that I”m quite sensitive (aka emotional) and cry/get scared easily. On the other end of the spectrum, we have my daughter who, while a sweet girl, LOVES scary movies, haunted houses and the like. While I tend to take a more sunny and positive perspective on life, my daughter tends towards the negative. Are you seeing where this is going?
When the movie ended, I literally couldn’t stop the tears that started about 10 minutes earlier. When I looked over to my daughter and her friend, they were googly-eyed and gushing over how much they LOVED the film.
And for whatever reason, the girls both agreed that it would make a great date movie (though I couldn’t get details on why). Her words basically echoed, “I loved, loved loved this movie!”. When I pushed her for a different adjective, she paused for a moment and then answered with, “It was just AMAZING.”
My teenage son, while not quite as emotional as me, felt similarly as I did. We both had such high hopes after the first Maleficent that it was going to be difficult for any movie to live up to those expectations.
We were asked to wear all black to the movie premiere, but I had to mix in a little brown with my Disney Dooney & Bourke purse I won at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration!
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Synopsis
Here is the studio synopsis of the film:
In Disney’s “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” a sequel to the 2014 global box office hit, Maleficent and her goddaughter Aurora begin to question the complex family ties that bind them as they are pulled in different directions by impending nuptials, unexpected allies and dark new forces at play.
I will say, the summary of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil make it seem like a lot of on-screen time is shared between Maleficent and Aurora, and that was not the case. While I appreciated the complexities of the relationship. it was the in-between moments of the film I struggled with.
And to be honest, I could have used a lot more of the wit and charm of Diavol we all fell in love with in the original!
MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL (Walt Disney Studios) opens on Friday, October 18, 2019 and is rated PG. The film runs 118 minutes and is available in theaters everywhere.
So I ask you: is this a movie you plan to see? If so, will you take your kids? I’d love to hear your take on this and whether or not you’d welcome a third installment in the Maleficent series.
