Maleficent

 

• Released Internationally on 28/05/14
• Released in Malta by KRS on 04/06/14

Review (01/06/14)

3-word review: Disney’s Dark Side. 

Name the last big film you saw Angelina Jolie starring in. Not that easy, is it? Salt, I guess, would be mine. Not exactly a hugely memorable role, or film. But you'd have to go back six years to find Changeling or Wanted. Which shows how much of her immense star power is due to her humanitarian work, her looks, and her famous family. Not necessarily in that order. She broke into the limelight in 1999, with her role in The Bone Collector and her Oscar for Girl, Interrupted, and she also had starring roles as Lara Croft. But it feels like ages since we've had a proper Angelina Jolie film to enjoy, and this one is most definitely all about her.

Not your average Disney film
If you had any doubt that you wouldn't be watching a normal family film, the Disney logo doesn't feature the usual castle, but a darker, less symmetrical one. It does turn out to be Sleeping Beauty's castle after all, but this is the story as seen from a different angle. Jolie stars as the wonderfully-named Maleficent, whom you might remember as the horned evil witch with a crow as a pet, from Sleeping Beauty. This is very much her story, and as with all decent tales of redemption, the best way to understand a baddie is to start from childhood, where the lovely young Maleficent was innocent, lovely and cute.

Back story
Along comes the not-so-wonderfully-named Stefan (Sharlto Copley, District 13, Elysium), who forms a childhood friendship with Maleficent, but who really just wants to become king, at all costs. Things get ugly as the kingdom (where Stefan lives) tries to conquer the Moors (the nearby magical woods, where Maleficent and co. live), and we even get a few large-scale scenes of battle and brutality, whilst keeping everything PG-13. Eventually we reach adulthood, where Stefan has been crowned king and is throwing a party for his gorgeous baby princess Aurora. Maleficent turns up uninvited, and the fairytale you might remember from your childhood comes into play.

Plot holes and awkward moments
The film manages to maintain the aura of dread and mystery that was established so well in the trailers (see the wonderful teaser trailer below), with lots of moody lighting and numerous scenes involving hardly any dialogue at all - just smouldering looks and impossible cheekbones (augmented even further in this case) from Maleficent as she watches over the growing Aurora (Elle Fanning, Super 8), and grows fond of her. But the middle of the film gets dragging, while the ending feels rushed, and Aurora's all-important slumber seems more like a power nap in this version. The carte blanche resulting from the undetermined magical powers mean that it's hard to be surprised by anything that happens, and this origin story loses its charm by the end.

In the end
It's quite significant that this film was made, and it establishes an interesting new direction for Disney to take, now that they might seem to have run out of classic fairytales to adapt. Jolie fits the role like a glove, with looks and a laugh that make Maleficent a wonderfully evil character, despite us now knowing about her soft core and motherly instincts. It's entertaining enough, but nothing special.

 

Trailer:

Elysium

• Released Internationally on 07/08/13
• Released in Malta by KRS on 28/08/13

Review (27/08/13)

3-word review: Slightly inferior follow-up.

The future is now

The illegal migrants huddle together in terrified silence, praying and hoping to get to their new life safely. After paying more than they can afford to a sleazy merchant who thrives off desperation, they make a valiant attempt to reach the promised land where their children can grow up safely, with clean air and free healthcare. The risk they take is huge - most of them will not survive the trip.

This is not some extract from a news bulletin about the current situation in the Mediterranean, it’s a rather poignant scene early on in the film, which despite being fast-paced and action-driven manages to give us a taste of the migrants’ hopes and fears, and strike home the very relevant message. Just like in Neil Blomkamp’s first film, District 9, the use of a futuristic vision of earth to tackle a present-day issue is very well-executed.

Unfortunately, this second film of his doesn’t manage to maintain the novelty and relevance of his first, and after a very impressive opening the film descends slightly into standard, unemotional action territory, with a few quiet scenes here and there which beg you to care by slowing things down and chucking a wailing ethnic female voice on the soundtrack. It doesn’t always work.

In a nutshell

The stunning opening gives us just two sentences of backstory, and manages to draw us immediately into Elysium’s world - earth is diseased and overpopulated, and the elite few have escaped into a massive space station orbiting the earth, where they live in lush green tranquillity whilst keeping a sharp lookout for any unworthy ones trying to crash the party. Jodie Foster is the face of the elite and Matt Damon is our hero on the ground.

After an accident at work, his health suddenly becomes an issue, and the script goes for the old trick of adding urgency to the story by giving him a set number of days to live. With nothing to lose, he plans a daring trip to Elysium, with the altruistic aim of making their wonderful healthcare tools available for all of Earth.

Has its good points

Damon is, as always, very likeable, and his human side manages to shine through here, despite the prosthetics and exoskeleton they screw into him to make him strong enough for the mission. The shots of earth are impressively done - it looks like one enormous favela - but what I really loved was the look of Elysium. Definitely a space station, but for once designed with the possibility of fresh air and open-air landscapes. Very clever. The visual effects are all top-notch, including droids that looks better than Transformers and a couple of memorable healing shots.

Sharlto Copley, who shot to fame after his unforgettable main role in District 9, is back in a prominent role here, initially treading the line between Earth and Elysium as a rogue gun for hire. The sense of urgency is maintained throughout the film, which runs for what I thought was the perfect length for this type of film, and which thankfully helped us forget some of the inconsistencies and clichés it contained by ending beautifully.

 

 

 

Trailers:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/elysium/

District 9

• Released Internationally on 13/08/09
• Released in Malta by KRS on 09/09/09 (how appropriate)

In a nutshell

Blurring the line between immigrants and aliens, this original and gripping science-fiction film from South Africa puts extra-terrestrials in a whole new light.

Aliens

The film wastes no time in presenting the striking image of an enormous spacecraft hovering ominously over the Johannesburg skyline. The engaging mock-documentary style mixes in a few interviews with news footage to quickly explain how 28 years ago this massive mothership appeared in the sky, came to standstill, and then did nothing. After much debate, we humans decided to break in, and a million weak, malnourished and generally docile aliens were found inside. With the eyes of the world watching, the South African government did the noble thing and gave them asylum in a fenced district – District 9.

Illegal immigrants

The metaphor for illegal immigration is immediately apparent, also thanks to not-so-subtle imagery. The aliens are treated by Johannesburg residents as a drain on resources, a nuisance, and a potential source of crime and danger. The town is full of signs prohibiting their entrance, they are nicknamed ‘prawns’ due to their appearance, and as the years go by the government is pressured into somehow getting rid of them. A huge eviction campaign is started, with plans to shift the entire prawn population to a ‘tent city’ far from the city centre.

Wikus Van De Merwe

During the opening documentary-style scenes, we are given a quick tour of the operation headquarters by a geeky-looking type who seems eager to impress. Wikus (impressive newcomer Sharlto Copley) is put in charge of the evacuation, thanks to some good old favouritism, and we join him on the much-advertised first day of the project. The replies his fellow colleagues give during interviews give us a sense that something is going to go incredibly wrong, but we are initially in the dark as to the nature or scale of the problem.

The issues at stake

Besides the focus on tensions between locals and immigrants, the film also delves into the artillery issue, with large corporations putting lives at risk in the search for dominance in the weapons market. These dubious ethics and the overriding racial conflicts manage to lift this film high above similar outings in the genre. The middle section of the film relies less on the documentary style and progresses like a thoroughbred sci-fi action film, but the hand-held camera work and overall style maintain the sense of realism and urgency that makes this film so distinctive.

Who’s in it?

Young South African director and visual effects artists Neill Blomkamp made a short film in 2005 entitled ‘Alive in Joburg’ (available online here). This film is a development of that 6-minute film into a fuller story, and was made with support from Peter Jackson’s production company. There are no big names on show, nor are they missed. The two principal actors both contributed to the original short, and they do a fine job, as do all the cast and crew. The visual effects are effective without ever being overdone, and the sparse score is a fine finishing touch.

In the end

Whilst borrowing concepts from Aliens, Independence Day and even The Fly, this film stands out as wonderfully original film, and should also appeal to those not usually drawn towards sci-fi. One of the best films of the year, and hopefully the start of a fruitful and entertaining directing career.

Trailer:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/district9/ (High-res Quicktime)