Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * *
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Harris Dickinson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sam Riley, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ed Skrein, Robert Lindsay, David Gyasi, Jenn Murray, Juno Temple, Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton, Judith Shekoni, Miyavi, Kae Alexander, Warwick Davis.
There will always be an audience for the mystery of the fairy-tale, the warning that the younger crowd will be unaware of that is being played out for them, the notice of the cautionary advice and fear that comes from being the parent to the child caught spellbound in myriad of colour, magic and spectacle, especially when it is delivered with the effect of outlandish beauty attached to it and the dream-like quality to which foretells of unrepentant merchandising galloping along beside it like a knight vanquishing the dragon or troll in pursuit of their own pile of gold.
The colourful spectacle will always have a place in people’s hearts, the legend of the enchanted belief stretching beyond childhood, into the realms of dreams and, sometimes, becoming the stuff of disappointing adult relationships; and yet, there are times when the stories told resonate with greater resolve because they turn the notion of good and evil on their head and explain that it is the individual to whom we see revealed as the agent of despair, the moment in which we understand that humanity itself is the big bad wolf, only with the bristling fur on the inside.
The issue with bringing fairy-tales to life on the big screen is that it can, like gorging on nothing but chocolate over Easter, the feeling of bloated contentment can be excruciating, over-bearing, and whilst the initial presentation can be quite stunning, the sense of magic and charm a positive discussion point to enjoy with the family, nevertheless, too much at one time can arguably be sickly and lead to being unfulfilled.
It is an offering of the saccharine sweet mixture of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil that floods the senses of the viewer, no doubt adorable, undeniably made for the experience, delivering a very modern message of acceptance and love, and yet somehow, undermining the purpose it revolves in by being pompous, and alarmingly signalling exactly what will happen; refusing to break convention in a manner befitting the idea of the sequel and the cast who give fine performances in the face of possible insincere responses by the visual effects on offer.
An average, slightly spoiled sequel that could have given so much more, but one in the end could not make the most of the immense talent, including Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Sam Riley, that was begging for more in the face of cinematic adversity.
Ian D. Hall