Holly on Hollywood
“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”
by Holly McClure
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil picks up five years after the events of the first film, with adopted daughter Aurora (Elle Fanning), Queen of the Moors, engaged to Prince Phillip (Harris Dickinson). The marriage will finally unite the human and fairy worlds but Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) is not pleased with the news. Although she is very protective of Aurora, she still tries hard to impress Phillip’s parents, King John (Robert Lindsay) and Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer). But when Aurora sides with her new in-laws, Maleficent gloomily retreats to her kingdom and a war of a different kind begins.
This PG sequel is best for kids 10 and up because of darker fantasy violence, including a darker race of fairies and several subplots with new characters. The costumes are stunning and the special effects are visually breathtaking. Sam Riley’s raven shapeshifter brings much-needed humor that compliments Jolie and Fanning who is a perfect mother-daughter duo, and Pfeiffer plays the glamorous villain beautifully. The three women bring very different and contrasting types of femininity to the Disney brand but there are still loving references to past Disney princess films. This is an action-filled, melodramatic, epic fantasy with some frightening scenes that include war, mass destruction, and a near-genocide of the fairies. Characters are seriously injured, and one beloved character sacrifices herself. Parents this is definitely not a kiddie princess film for little ones but older kids to adults will enjoy this entertaining tale, told with imagination and heart, that is wickedly fun to watch.
~Holly On Hollywood~
Holly McClure is a multimedia personality with a career that spans over 20 years in the entertainment industry. Her background as a film critic, film and television producer, creative writer, filmographer, radio and television host, author, and pundit for family values, has established her media expertise and made her a recognized advocate for family-friendly entertainment. Holly was the first ‘family film critic’ syndicated in over 365 newspapers by The Orange County Register. Her “Holly on Hollywood” movie reviews have been featured on various media outlets and can now be seen on Uplift TV, Parables movie channel, and thelaundrymoms.com.
In 2002, Holly was asked by Mel Gibson to film the behind-the-scenes interviews for “The Passion of the Christ”. She produced a one hour special, “The Making of The Passion of the Christ”, that aired on TBN and ION. She has since produced numerous press features for various films (The Passion Of The Christ, Do You Believe, Dancer and the Dame, God’s Not Dead, The Frontier Boys, etc.) and is listed on IMDB .
Holly is a charter member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and serves on the advisory boards of The Dove Foundation and The Parents Television Council. She is a proud mother, grandmother and mentor, passionate about supporting and creating life-changing entertainment!
For more information visit Hollymcclure.com or IMDB.com
