Once upon a time, I stumbled into downtown Chicago’s Disney store with my friends. Determined, I marched up to a smiling employee named Alfredo and asked where I could find any “villain stuff.”
A
“Maleficent”
Disney
May 30
“Villains,”Alfredo informed me, “were last year. You might want to check the clearance rack.”
Flash-forward two weeks to the release of the very first trailer for Disney’s highly anticipated “Sleeping Beauty” adaptation, “Maleficent.” Though Elle Fanning’s narration as the lethargic Disney princess guides this teaser, Angelina Jolie, lurking and looming as the eponymous villain, enchants with her frightening ferocity and indelible silhouette.
Just as 2012’s “Snow White and the Huntsman” was supremely overpowered by Charlize Theron’s bewitching performance as evil queen Ravenna, “Maleficent” will undoubtedly belong to the horned Jolie. This time, at least, the focus on the villain over the hero is intentional, as the film promises to tell the untold tale of the self-identifying “mistress of evil.”
If the effects-heavy trailer is any indication, “Maleficent” might face the same fatal flaw as “Huntsman” by allowing the spectacle to outshine the story. It is, after all, a directorial debut for Robert Stromberg, who is known primarily for his prolific career as a concept artist and visual effects designer. But, who cares about the story? I’m here for the Angelina.
Sorry, Alfredo. You were wrong. Villains are forever.