Disney's live-action movies often come under fire for being unoriginal, shameless cash grabs that are wholly unNecessary. For the most part, that's an unfair and often ridiculous argument, but in the case of
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, it's a description which is completely appropriate. While
Aladdin was a joyous riot and
The Lion King showcased groundbreaking technology, this sequel is a poorly told, uncomfortably grim affair which actually feels anti-Disney in many ways.
The majority of the movie is bathed in literal darkness with the impressive visuals put on the back burner in exchange for moody soliloquies in night-time settings and baffling character decisions. Scenes which essentially feature mass murder and genocide dominate the proceedings, and by the time the movie's villain receives her just desserts (which is hardly a spoiler for a Disney movie), that's treated as a punchline rather than any sort of appropriate comeuppance.
That's just one of many odd and hard to understand developments in the movie, and you can almost see the director Joachim Rønning frantically trying to piece everything together before failing miserably. On the plus side, there are some solid action scenes and fun moments with
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil's adorable creatures, but they are few and far between and overshadowed by a muddled plot and uncomfortable scenes you'll be reluctantly forced to explain to your kids once the credits roll.
Angelina Jolie and Ella Fanning do the best they can with the material they're given as does Michelle Pfeiffer, who, for the most part, is an effectively frightening foe for the movie's two leads. While Jolie is able to bring some humour to the role, the odd wink and nod really isn't enough to make up for the fact that the character has been completely neutered here. As a result, a character who was once a delightfully complex anti-hero is now a two-dimensional bore. Harris Dickinson brings about as much charisma as a plank of wood as Prince Phillip, and franchise newcomers Ed Skrein and Chiwetel Ejiofor do their best, but clearly regret ever signing up to star in the follow-up to the far superior 2014 movie.
Ultimately, that's the biggest problem here. While
Maleficent offered a unique twist on a familiar tale,
Mistress of Evil simply doesn't provide enough reasons to justify its existence and is too dark to be anything near enjoyable. There are glimmers of hope for a better movie here and there, but one never materialises and the sequel lets down both its impressive cast and the often spellbinding visuals. It's not completely devoid of joy, but it's too often a slog to sit through and you know something is wrong when the final battle leaves you asking, "Did they really just do that?"
A grim and depressing sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is a completely unnecessary and disappointing effort which seemingly sets out to rob viewers of the usual enjoyment a Disney movie provides.