re: so here's what I know about Maleficent...

Here's my quick review of it.

TLDR: It was just okay. I didn't like it all that much because it turns the whole Sleeping Beauty story on its head, unnecessarily.

More:

I had problems with this movie from a story standpoint because it directly contradicts the earlier Sleeping Beauty work, which is a classic. This isn't a point-of-view, different perspective piece. This is a total rewriting of the story. If you like the original version, and I do... then you will not like this version. And if you do like this version, you shouldn't. Here's why: the movie takes the main character, Maleficent and dilutes her from a figure of pure evil into a mother figure with a heart of gold. It seems as if Disney, after seeing how popular Maleficent has been via merchandise sales over the years, decides they can't have one of their most popular characters be evil, so they rewrote her into a princess. It spits in the face of the original character, and for what? Will people REALLY like this version of Maleficent's character better than the original? No. Because the original was a unique character, and this new version is like every fairy godmother/wish fulfillment character/gatekeeper figure present in every myth from the dawn of time, secretly helping the hero along from a distance.

The movie also takes a huge dump on Prince Philip, relegating him to a role of uselessness, in which he does nothing heroic whatsoever.

In fact, all of the male roles in this movie are shameful in their presentation of male virtue. The men are all either paranoid psychopaths or bumbling idiots who have to be literally molded and pushed into place by the women in the story.

There is a major gap in character development in not showing why Stefan has a change of position as regards Maleficent and his purpose in life. The start of the relationship between Maleficent and Stefan is told so well. One of the best parts of the movie. But it craters and it's never SHOWN why. It's TOLD why. But movies should SHOW.

Which leads me to my last gripe... this is a very poorly edited movie. It's a relatively short movie that seems to drag along, and even then it leaves out material: why did Stefan turn? Who is Stefan's wife? When did he meet her? Where were the three fairies the whole time Maleficent was watching over Aurora? What did the woodland creatures think of Maleficent's dark change? There could have been more tension between her and Diavolo that could expound on her change from good to bad.

Now, the movie isn't all bad. There's some good stuff in it. My girlfriend loved the movie. But I say skip it in the theater. Wait for video. You're not missing a thing by waiting this one out.

I give it a solid C. Right down the middle average.