Since last April I have been very worried about
my health after I had to see two different doctors in one week and gone to a CT
scan after that.
The second doctor had said that I would be getting an invitation for further
examinations and to see yet another doctor about a few months after the CT
scan. About two weeks ago I got a letter from the central hospital and I was so
nervous to open it, for I knew it was an invitation because the letter was
thicker than a regular medical bill. After opening it and reading it, it
started yet another wait even I had been waiting for the letter so I can get
this thing “over with” already – I was so sick of waiting and being nervous
over this!
So, in the morning a few days ago, I went to the central hospital and had tests
done – obviously I was nervous... After the tests I had an appointment with yet
another doctor. I had a big question mark above my head at times when the
doctor was explaining the results to me. I could found out the main things I
needed and wanted to know and the rest was pure Hebrew to me. The main things
above all else were that my CT scans were normal and that there’s nothing to
worry about.
After I
left from the hospital, the happiness had swept my anxiety away completely.
What a great feeling!
* SPOILER ALERT! This
review might contain spoilers. *
"Maleficent" rewrites the classic Disney animated
film "Sleeping Beauty" entirely! It is rewritten to a character whose story
has not been told yet and by that way, it gives you a whole new perspective to
an old well-known tale. The story mainly tells you about Maleficent but also
things about Aurora you didn't see in the animated film. It tells many thing about Maleficent you didn’t know, for example
that once she had wings and how she lost them, why she is so angry, bitter and
sad among other things you have always wanted to know but never knew how to
ask! You even learn the origins of Maleficent's raven.
I went to see "Maleficent" in the movie theater twice – the place where you should see it for the first time, even in 2D if you don’t
have the chance to see it in 3D. I remember when I got Disney's "Sleeping
Beauty" in my hands when I was a small child and I turned it over and
thinking how cool it was, needing to ask my parents to read the back cover for
me for I didn't know how to read myself yet. But for the first time I saw the
animated film I loved it! And Maleficent has always been one of my favorite
Disney villains... So, those are only a few reason why I was beyond excited
in March when I first heard that "Maleficent" was coming to the theaters – the
only problem was to wait for over two months for its premiere. One of the
reasons were that there was Angelina Jolie playing Maleficent – I think no one
would have done a better job!
The characters contrary roles, comparing to
Disney's animated film "Sleeping Beauty" from 1959, made the movie a
whole more exciting to watch because nothing seemed to be like what you have
gotten to know from the animated film when you saw it as a child (or adult, no
matter)! Some of the main characters in the animated film were now in side roles and
some of the good characters seemed to turn out the main villains of the movie
and the originally evil characters to be the good ones. It all really explains
why Maleficent casted the spell upon Princess Aurora and basically everything
evil she did. It was a pleasant surprise to see what kind of relationship Maleficent
and Aurora created with each other from Aurora’s childhood to her teens,
something the animated film never, ever showed you! I was surprised by how
relatively small part the three faeries had raising Aurora or doing anything in
the end unlike what it was in the animated film. But it wasn’t bad at all, it all
just fit together so well!
“Maleficent” changed my view of the story entirely!
While I still love the animated film, I liked this version of the story even more!
Especially when, in the end, you will find out who was telling the story... It
made the story feel more real and believable, like this was the tale Disney
should have told us decades ago! The narrator isn't too much involved and
leaves the person watching the movie enough “space” to think of her own without
one feeling she is watching a movie made for children.
The movie felt longer than only about an hour
and a half but it wouldn't have hurt to make it a two hour film for I believe it would
have done good for the story– but maybe the youngest
children would not have the patience to watch the movie if it would have been
longer... There was no dull moment when I was
watching this film and to me, that's also a sign for a great movie above all
else. I recommend this film to all from adults to children... But maybe not for
the youngest ones for it is PG rated movie. Even still, I think it was great that the film
teaches children (and why not older ones too) that evil is not always black and
white...
I must say that "Maleficent" is one of
my favorite movies of all time and I only needed to see it once to know this.
It was just so good! It made me laugh, it made me cry, just like a good movie should... And Angelina Jolie's performance was amazing! She wasn't just
acting Maleficent, she actually became Maleficent – that's one of the things
that makes this movie so great! One of the other thing was the visual effects.
Right from the start you see that the movie is made to be 3D – especially, the
flying scenes are incredible immersive to watch! Maleficent's wings looked so
real, even I started to think what it would be to have wings... There was a lot
of CGI animation but it was so well done it didn’t start to bug you. Also the
ending was quite different than in the animated film, but let’s just say it
won’t let a frowny face to anyone...
"Maleficent" also has amazing music! The soundtrack is composed by James Newton Howard and all the tracks on it just fit into the movie like a right piece of a jigsaw puzzle and was so part of the story and the happenings that it kind of "blended" in to the movie itself but not in a bad way – it didn't steal the attention of watching the movie itself but intensified it even better experience! I had to go listen to the whole album right away I got back home from the movie theater and it brought back the movie into my head which is always a good sign of a well-made soundtrack to me.
First time I went to see
"Maleficent" it was in 2D (like a “regular” movie) but today I went
to watch it again in 3D, because I think it was that good – it was so much
better than in 2D version! I don’t know which movie would not be better in 3D,
but it worked incredibly well for this one. I was “disappointed” I didn’t go
watch it in 3D right on the first time, after seeing the scenes which clearly
are meant to be seen in 3D. I checked from the internet that it won’t be
shown in 3D anymore after this weekend (at least in Finland), so I was damn lucky to be able to see
it also in 3D.
Director: Robert Stromberg Actors: Angelina Jolie, Elle
Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Sam Riley, Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton, Juno
Temple, Brenton Thwaites Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Action,
Family Premiere:28 May 2014 (USA) / 28 May 2014
(Finland) Length:97 min
PG Trailer:
