Warning: The following article contains spoilers to the movie Maleficent: Mistress of Evil 

In the movie Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, fans get to reunite with the majestic land of Moors, and the wonderful fairies and royalty that inhabit it. It starts off a few months after the first movie, Maleficent, ends. The first movie, similar to the tale of Sleeping Beauty, explained how a curse was set on Princess Aurora by Maleficent, a human-sized fairy with long, elegant, raven-like wings. According to the curse’s terms, Aurora was destined to prick her finger on a spindle of a spinning wheel on her sixteenth birthday. This would result in her falling into an eternal sleep, except for one condition. True love could break the curse.  As evil as she may have seen, Maleficent still cared for Aurora, and was able to break the curse. 

However, in the new movie, word of Aurora’s story is drastically modified by the townspeople, barely noting how Maleficent was the one who saved her; instead, people only remembered the unforgivable curse she cast on the land. This discrepancy creates conflict, as people would stay away from her in fear of being the next victim. Fortunately, Aurora has empathy for Maleficent, and was grateful for her efforts of protecting her, understanding how difficult it must be to be an outcast.

In my opinion, the graphics were stunning, and captured my attention from the start. The creatures all had a unique look to them, and the forest was enchanting.  After we get to see the scene set, the show continues with Aurora getting engaged to Prince Philip against Maleficent’s will. This shocked me just as much as it had shocked Maleficent, because him and Maleficent aren’t on the best terms. Of course, this caused her to act out in rage, and leave the dinner the Philip’s family had so generously invited her to.

To add a twist to the story, the antagonist was related to Prince Philip. His backstabbing mother demonized Maleficent, and even kidnapped some of the fairies to run tests on them. In these tests, they tried to find a substance that would wipe out the fairy population. So there could be no interference of her sinister plans, she had her assistant shoot Maleficent, causing her to submerge into the darkest of waters.

Another surprise this movie had was the inclusion of more creatures similar to Maleficent. After she fell into the water, she was miraculously saved by one of them mere moments after her near-death experience. Later on she would even find others of her kind, and where the cave they have been hiding in all these years. Though their intentions weren’t the best with humans, they still had kind hearts.  

One drawback of this film however was the plot. It only relied on one main conflict, never really expanding upon it. Some other small events that were added seemed to be time fillers as well. This caused the movie to drag on a little bit, but nonetheless, it didn’t lack any of its Disney charm. 

Many lessons were also learned from this movie. Never judge someone by their appearances or rumors. This is known as ignorance, and as seen in the movie, can cause decent people to be shunned by society. Another lesson learned was never fight someone because you are mad. The best way to handle a situation is with words, not actions.

Both students and critics can agree that it “soars above the charts” with its breathtaking scenery  and unique characters. Megan Chou (9) states, “I watched the trailer for the new movie Maleficent, and the movie seems very fascinating with a twist in the story. I wonder how Aurora and her prince will get married with Maleficent in the way.” Because of this, you will have a “wicked-good time” seeing this movie.