Read the Maleficent movie synopsis, view the movie trailer, get cast and crew information, see movie photos, and more on Movies. Maleficent is a 2014 American fantasy film directed by Robert Stromberg from a screenplay by Linda Woolverton, and starring Angelina Jolie as the titular character. Fo/U51zN1eFnrI/AAAAAAAAHJM/tYh46Ep1tuI/s1600/Maleficent-Dream-Trailer-2014.jpg' alt='Watch Maleficent Full Movie' title='Watch Maleficent Full Movie' />Watch Descendants starring Dove Cameron in this Fantasy on DIRECTV. Its available to watch on TV, online, tablets, phone. Angelina Jolie Stars in Maleficent, From Disney. At this point, the filmmakers pick up the Sleeping Beauty thread and begin weaving it into Maleficents story, so, again, there are a christening and a curse, and Aurora is squired away by a troika of pixies a tolerably amusing Imelda Staunton, Lesley Manville and Juno Temple, who raise her in a forest cottage. There, she grows up and eventually into Elle Fanning under the gaze of Maleficent, which is where this rethink gets going. Photo. Angelina Jolie is the betrayed fairy. Credit. Keith HampshereWalt Disney Pictures In broad strokes, Maleficent is Disneys latest bid to recast a dusty story for a contemporary audience, one that has, over the years, complained with good reason about the companys representations, particularly of female characters. For decades, Disney has responded with an array of plucky girls and women whose desires extend beyond romantic longing. Usually, they have adventures, and not just dreams, to go with their wasp waists and froufrou. Sometimes they save the day and their true love, which is better and more fun than waiting to be saved. Yet Disney heroines, whether princesses or not, have almost always ended up as reliably paired off as if they were boarding Noahs ark. A notable exception is Queen Elsa in Frozen, a very different kind of heroine. Showtime Full The Baxter Online Free here. That Elsa remains single in Frozen has inspired some widely, wildly divergent readings of that movie, with some commentators claiming her as a L. G. B. T. representation, and others denouncing her for the same reason. Its entirely possible that Maleficent, partly because its narratively weak and Ms. Jolie is a powerful screen presence, will inspire its share of warring interpretations and dismissals. The movie, directed by Robert Stromberg from Linda Woolvertons script, draws on Disneys Sleeping Beauty and Charles Perraults version of the tale. Watch Maleficent Full Movie' title='Watch Maleficent Full Movie' />Despite this, the narrative linchpin isnt Aurora Its Maleficent, who doesnt fit the fairy tale template largely because of her relationships. Stefan angers her, but she so gets over him and soon shifts her attention elsewhere. Mr. Stromberg, a production designer making his feature directing debut, does best when he scales down, as in the lovely shots of Maleficent walking next to a floating, unconscious Aurora, an image that telegraphs more about their relationship than any line of dialogue. The action scenes, by contrast, are visually uninteresting, borderline generic and unnecessary. There are also far too many long shots when the digital renderings especially those with human figures pull you out of the story instead of keeping you immersed. But theres so much to look at in the movie from the wittily designed creatures to the shocks of bilious green and purple that the battles quickly fade. The colors are, as is a galloping race to the rescue, among the many nods to the 1. Sleeping Beauty. Photo. Elle Fanning is Princess Aurora. Credit. Walt Disney Pictures Ms. Jolie is, unsurprisingly, a visual marvel. Her face has been smoothed into an alabaster Cubist mask, and prostheses elongate her already sharp cheekbones from some angles, it looks as if she had a second set of vestigial wings riding under her skin. The exquisite attention to detail in both the makeup and costume is routine in major productions like this one, of course, but the mixture of Old Hollywood glamour and contemporary fetishwear doesnt just turn Maleficent into a pleasurable spectacle, it also serves a character who embodies both the past and the future. Ms. Jolies performance is similarly bifurcated, with a controlled physicality that, just when it seems to be edging into catwalk blankness, springs to weird life with grotesque facial contortions and spidery movements. Bruno Bettelheim, that great reader of fairy tales, saw The Sleeping Beauty as a story of sexual awakening. She wakes only when physically and emotionally mature enough, when she is ready for love and its familiar handmaidens sex and marriage. Its at that point, Bettelheim writes in The Uses of Enchantment, the wall of thorns suddenly turns into a wall of big, beautiful flowers, which opens to let the prince enter. Thats quite the metaphor, but for women, it has sometimes also been a curse, including in movies, where they have traditionally had to wait for a man to get them to their happily ever after. Theres no denying the attractions of that narrative for some of us Even Lena Dunham got swept off her feet. But, come on Theres more to life and certainly more to women, which is something that, however imperfectly, Maleficent grapples with. Im still not sure if the movies smack down between patriarchy and matriarchy is the way to go, but at least nobody here is warbling about what she wants before hitting the road to self actualization. Consciously or not, coherently or not, Maleficent tells a new kind of story about how we live now, not once upon another time. And it does so by suggesting, among other things, that budding girls and older women are not natural foes, even if thats what fairy tales, Hollywood and the world like to tell us. And while that may sound drippy, its exactly the kind of hokey that, movie by movie, may finally make a real difference. Maleficent is rated PG Parental guidance suggested. There is some bloodless violence, some involving wings. Maleficent. Director. Robert Stromberg. Writers. Linda Woolverton, Milt Banta, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Erdman Penner, Joe Rinaldi, Ted Sears, Ralph Wright. Stars. Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton. Rating. PGRunning Time. Genres. Action, Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Romance. Movie data powered by IMDb. Last updated Mar 3. Continue reading the main story. Celebrity Videos, Red Carpet Videos, Movie Trailers. Translate to English Translate to English Translate to English Translate to English This content is available customized for our international audience. Switch to US edition This content is available customized for our international audience. Switch to Canadian edition This content is available customized for our international audience. Switch to UK edition This content is available customized for our international audience. Switch to Australian editionMchtest du zur deutschen Version wechseln Do you want to go to the German edition Souhaitez vous vous rendre sur ldition franaise Do you want to go to the French edition Ns especializamos nosso site para sua regio Voc gostaria de ir para E Online Brasil We have specialized our website for your region. Would you like to switch to our Brazilian editionHemos especializado nuestro sitio para tu regin Quieres ir a E Online Latino We have specialized our website for your region. Would you like to switch to our Latino edition Yes Yes Yes Yes Ja Yes Oui Yes Sim YesSi Yes.