56
Metascore
44 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenA few bumpy patches notwithstanding, the new feature is an exquisitely designed, emotionally absorbing work of dark enchantment.
- 67Entertainment WeeklyKeith StaskiewiczEntertainment WeeklyKeith StaskiewiczThe characters are boiled down to their essentials, the humor is timelessly broad, and Jolie's at her best when she's curling her claws and elongating her vowels like a black-sabbath Tallulah Bankhead.
- 60The TelegraphRobbie CollinThe TelegraphRobbie CollinThe action sequences are executed with rhythm and punch, and our heroine swoops and swirls around like Iron Man in a sheath dress. Maleficent may be short on true enchantment, but until we find a superhero who can pull off a black silk cocktail gown in battle, she’s very welcome.
- 60TheWrapAlonso DuraldeTheWrapAlonso DuraldeThe aggressively unpleasant visuals certainly detract from the overall film, but Maleficent makes for a fascinating entry in an ongoing wave of projects that give “bad” women of literature a chance to present their side of the story.
- 60CineVueJoe WalshCineVueJoe WalshDespite its pitfalls, Maleficent entertains because of Jolie, who holds the wavering threads of Stromberg's spinning wheel together with aplomb.
- 60Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfIf you go into Maleficent expecting Jolie to be the badass of Sleeping Beauty, you’re going to get burned.
- 50VarietyAndrew BarkerVarietyAndrew BarkerUncertain of tone, and bearing visible scarring from what one imagines were multiple rewrites, the film fails to probe the psychology of its subject or set up a satisfying alternate history, but it sure is nice to look at for 97 minutes.
- 42The PlaylistDrew TaylorThe PlaylistDrew TaylorMaleficent desperately tries to create a character whose motivation you will understand and empathize with. But the screenplay and direction are such a tangled, thorny patch of conflicting ideas that it's hard to tell what that motivation is supposed to be.
- 40Village VoiceAmy NicholsonVillage VoiceAmy NicholsonWith more actual grrrl power, Maleficent would be a bold redo. Instead, it's a beautiful snooze, a story that hints at the darkness underneath our fairy tales and tarnishes the idea of true love without quite daring to say what's really on its mind: that even the best of us might not live happily ever after.