Maleficent ** (PG) Sleeping Beauty is a beloved fairy tale and animated feature film. This live-action spin on the yarn gives us the backstory of the evil eponymous fairy who put the curse on her, and serves up some variations on the course of the princess’ life. Though visually masterful, as one expects from any of the Disney studios’ products, the concept is dubious, and its execution seemed tedious. Angelina Jolie’s decision to accept the title role in this CG-dominated fable is curiouser and curiouser, to borrow from another piece of classic fantasy lit.
Those being nagged for tickets by their young charges should note there’s little levity in these proceedings, and some sequences might be scarier to the wee ‘uns than its rating would indicate. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead cleverly turned Hamlet into a farce by making two marginal characters protagonists witnessing the principal tragic events. This one tries a similar perspective switch, but without the wit of a Tom Stoppard to make it work. (5/30/14)