Maleficent

Maleficent, a 2014 film directed by Robert Stromberg, sees Disney giving life to the statement, "There's two sides to every story." In essence, this is Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of the villain.

Oh, but she's really not a villain, we are told. Maleficent, a fairy who lives in an enchanted forest, grew up happy and carefree. Things went to shit when she met a human boy. Initially they were best friends, but when he realized he could become king if he killed her, he cut off her wings (he was too chicken to actually murder her) and she swore revenge.

Maleficent is notable mostly for the presence of Angelina Jolie as the title character. With makeup giving her razor-sharp cheekbones and a set of magnificent horns, she strides across the film imperiously. When she lays down the curse on that boy's baby, Aurora, it's a thrilling moment.

That baby grows up to be Elle Fanning, and as Jolie watches over her, she softens and grows to love her. It's nice but the story was a little predictable, and the climax, a fight with a dragon inside a dark castle, is confusing and hard to see.

For political scientists, the film presents a pro-socialist view: the fairies' land is a utopia where everyone shares, while the humans live in a greedy, capitalist society that is marked by cruelty and pain.

The film was a big hit and spawned a sequel, which I'll take a look at in the next few weeks.