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Disney’s Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Heralds the Season of the Witch

Maleficent 2 This Time We Get Even Sexier

I’ve already made it known that, despite it being a relatively unpopular opinion, I really enjoyed Maleficent, and of all the Disney live-action films, it’s probably the most creative. Was Mal the Mistress of all Evil we knew her as? No, but we also got a story with a lot of female solidarity and probably the most active version of Aurora we’ve ever seen, which is why I’m excited for the sequel film, which released a trailer last night.

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On a purely superficial level, I think it looks beautiful, if a bit generic in its design, as Michelle Pfeiffer’s voiceover tells us that this story is not a fairy tale. We see Maleficent (Angelina Jolie), Aurora (Elle Fanning), and Diaval (Sam Riley) visiting Pfeiffer’s character, Queen Ingrith, who is serving Evil Queen vibes with the best of them. From what can be seen, it looks like Maleficent doesn’t really get diplomacy right and ends up creating conflict between her people and Ingrith’s.

We also get Angelina Jolie in a ripped bondage outfit, which I’m sure will be 100% plot-relevant. I’m excited for the return of Linda Woolverton, the screenwriter for the first movie, Beauty and the Beast (both the Disney version and the Broadway one), Aida (which she wrote the book for), and also the Lestat musical … so mostly okay.

What do the people have to say about this sequel?

A lot of people are burned that Jolie’s Maleficent was not a villain, and that feeling has not lessened with time. Personally, I think that it would be stronger if they stuck the landing and found ways to just kept Maleficent an anti-hero. At this point, if they change her back, especially for a weak reason, it’ll just seem like they’re admitting they made a mistake, and I don’t think their changes were a mistake. I think they were telling a different story, and it would be difficult to make a villain movie about Maleficent that would work because, like all good villains, less is more.

I’m more excited that this movie will have three different examples of female leadership, and since Aurora most likely has plot armor, she’ll survive and be the one Queen to rule them all.

At least we got another good ghostly cover of the Donovan song “Seasons of the Witch.” It doesn’t beat Lana Del Ray’s haunting “Once Upon a Dream,” but it’s good.

What do you think of the trailer? What “plot” reasons do you think get Maleficent so … tattered?

Maleficent

(image: Disney)

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Princess Weekes
Princess (she/her-bisexual) is a Brooklyn born Megan Fox truther, who loves Sailor Moon, mythology, and diversity within sci-fi/fantasy. Still lives in Brooklyn with her over 500 Pokémon that she has Eevee trained into a mighty army. Team Zutara forever.

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