Wounded and consumed by hatred and revenge, Maleficent curses Stefan's first child Aurora. Yet as the child grows, Maleficent comes to love her, and regrets the curse.
This is no black-and-white morality tale but tells a story of the complexities of human emotions and relationships.
Jolie is adept at giving an insight into how being dreadfully hurt can make a person turn hateful, even evil.
In the end love still saves the day, but not as we might expect from the fairy tale stereotype of princes and princesses.
Rated for mature audiences, it is equally delightful to children, and more intelligently real than old-fashioned syrupy Disney.
Maleficent is aimed at the tween market, which likes its fairy tales a little bit dark. It has excellent digital effects -- such as the shape-shifting Diaval, Maleficent's raven pal which she turns into a human, wolf or dragon -- and epic battle scenes. This is a crowd-pleaser for kids and adults alike.
It is not all dark fantasy and morality tale, the relationship between Maleficent and Diaval, and the trio of silly "good" fairies adds humour.
Watch the trailer here:
