I saw Maleficent today. Originally, I had no intention of seeing this film. Whenever Disney makes a movie based one another they have made previously, I'm always worried the new will ruin the old (which is why I never watched Mirror, Mirror). I was also concerned Angelina Jolie (Maleficent) wouldn't be a good pick for the role. I was, however, surprisingly pleased.
The animation of this film, although clearly CGI, was remarkable. The only reason you could tell it was digitally animated was because those shown on screen were not actual creatures in reality. The work of Disney's CGI team is always done well.
Jolie surprised me. I didn't think she'd fit this role. Don't get me wrong, I have watched many films she's starred in and enjoyed all of them; she's a very talented actress! I just wasn't sure she was the best fit for this. I was wrong. She did wonderfully. I especially liked her reaction to *SPOILER ALERT* when Stephen cuts off her wings. It was so real.
One detail I particularly liked was Maleficent's younger self. The casting was done extremely well, here. I think most only look for similarities in the facial features and maybe the general body figure, but I'm sure Disney tried to find someone so similar to Jolie that they looked at even the fingertips of the actresses. The girl playing young Maleficent has very similar fingers to Jolie. It's details like this that make me enjoy movies as much as I do.
I give Maleficent 7.5 out of 10.
