Maleficent

Children need their antiheroes, too.

We love watching characters do bad things for both good and not-so-good reasons. Why do we expect less of our kids? Even the Grimm Brothers realized that entertaining fairy tales should be full of moral ambiguities.

"Maleficent" missed out on the critical praise that it deserved, because adults discounted it as "Disney." Critics were quick to say Angelina Jolie is "wickedly" brilliant (which is certainly true), but these accolades came through in a way that disregarded the rest of the film.

The story involves a familiar trope, a fairy princess, Maleficent (Jolie). But instead of waiting for her prince to come, she fights fierce battles to protect her country from a vain and warmongering establishment. Because she has been deeply wounded by someone she cared about, she grows into a dark, embittered woman, and this leads her to place a curse on Aurora (Sleeping Beauty).

This is an action she grows to regret, but she has set into motion a course of events she cannot take back. She must find another way to repair the damage she has done.

The original Disney fairy tale was an idealization of romantic love. "Maleficent" is an ode to familial love, strong women and enduring female relationships.

The art direction alone in this film is a thing of wonder, and the CGI is spellbinding, so the Special Features will give you more of an opportunity to revel in these elements -- namely the behind-the-scenes "Building an Epic Battle," "Classic Couture," and "'Maleficent' Revealed." There are also two featurettes that focus on the casting and the way the story was developed "Aurora: Becoming a Beauty" and "From Fairy Tale to Feature Film," not to mention the typical deleted scenes. (These were left out for good reason. They add nothing.)

"Maleficent"
Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD
Rated PG / 97 min.
disneybluray.com