Fairytales, old-time legends, and other bedtime stories were always been a tradition in most families for us to sleep. Some of those stories teach us a life lessons, certain values, and other things that may leave some ideas about life, love, and everything in between.
So, when Disney release a film back in 2014, Maleficent. This came to my point that they produce another old tale “Sleeping Beauty” where the princess will going to wake up with a true love’s kiss from its knight and shining armor prince; not until I watch it. They prove me that this story may be old but still a must watch in every generation and to the teenagers to show things what they’ve been missing out.
As I’ve said, Maleficent is a story of “Sleeping Beauty”, but this time the point of view came from Maleficent. The film tells about Maleficent fairy childhood, where her powers are being used in good purposes not until she was being betrayed by the boy she loved for the sake of power. As the boy took Maleficent wings, Maleficent lost half of its power and was driven by wickedness. When she visit her ex-lover, which is now a king Maleficent cast a spell on the christening of the kings newly born daughter (Aurora) that will put her into a death-like sleep on her sixteenth birthday where there is no other way to be broken but a true love’s kiss. The film keeps on portraying Maleficent and Aurora’s relation as she grow’s older until the time comes Aurora celebrated her sixteenth birthday, the power of the spell took effect and put Aurora into sleep, leaving Maleficent in regret as for her true love doesn’t exist and Aurora were supposedly will never be awake from her sleep. Meanwhile, the three good fairies who took care Aurora since childhood tried to wake her by bringing some guy to kiss her, but they fail. As Maleficent observe the process she cried and promise to protect Aurora as she leans down and kissed Aurora on the forehead. The sleeping beauty woke up, showing that the kiss was a true loves kiss, where the love of Maleficent being developed to Aurora as she watched her grew up. In amazement by that, Maleficent tried to escape with Aurora but fails it as she was captured by the king’s guard made of metal – Maleficent’s weakness point. When Aurora runs to hide, she found Maleficent’s wing that is being kept in a glass box where she broke it and the wings flap their way back to Maleficent giving her the ability to win the battle where the king accidentally died. The film ends with Aurora announced as the queen and Maleficent reviving her beautiful world and discard those evil things she created.
The film portrays lots of lessons and different values, wickedness for example. As we can see the story in the film started on the good side of Maleficent but then when she was betrayed evil takes over and propel her to do evil things, just like teenagers these days. They used to revenge rather than to let go and let God do the rest. With that it just shows how anyone can choose evil over good and where to invest their power in the way they want. There are other values present as well, such as holding on to your anger, guilt, forgiveness, redemption, but the most powerful of all was the true love kiss. Showing that true love does not necessarily mean a prince and a princess, a guy and a girl just like the old romantic way fairy tales or bedtime stories used to portray. It also exists among in our family or friends and can be developed in other forms of love not just romantic but could be in other forms – such as loving our neighbor even if they are annoying, our enemies even if they don’t like us all, and sometime even just supporting our friends on the things they are not certain could be determined as love too.
Overall, Maleficent film is a superb! It is well acted life-lesson film, where love and hate are shown; the choices we can make as an individual and teaches us that evil can be in the form of hatred and betrayal. Those circumstances may happen as we walk in the journey of life but somehow it those things doesn’t define who we really are.
P.s this is for academic purposes only. Thank you so much for reading!
With love, Rosell.
Rosell Jardinico 