Maleficent is, of course, Wicked does Sleeping Beauty (mercifully without the Broadway screeching) on a day-trip to Middle Earth, but it does it all with immense visual richness. It is a mostly straight-faced alternate take on Disney's own animated classic, told this time from the curse-caster's point of view. Quite simply, this is the Angelina Jolie show - everything else pales into insignificance - and she owns the role and commands the screen with incredible power and presence. The first act is perhaps too twee and slow, but the final showdown is surprisingly strong and interesting. Being a fairy tale, Idiot Plot abounds (one wonders exactly over what Maleficent rules, and everyone's lives appear to be on hold for sixteen years until Aurora's fateful birthday). The target audience is unclear - too frightening for kiddies, too dry for teens, too familiar for adults - but Maleficent is an unusually ambitious and darkly entertaining film from the House of Mouse.
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