Fun fact: the baby actor who was saying "Up, Up" was Angelina Jolie's daughter cause all the other kids where scared of her dressed like that so they used her daughter cause she Was the only one not scared. 🥺
One of my favourite aspects of the film is the fact that they BOTH look extremely, genuinely happy, beyond it, actually joyous so to speak, in that scene. They made the right choice, imagine if they used cgi and it was a Renesmé 2.0
Angelina Jolie stated she wanted the scene where she woke up and realised her wings to reflect SA, as Maleficent was drugged by someone she trusted and taken advantage of, and when she woke up, a part of her was gone and she lashed out at the world.
@@littlesparrow303I think she's still a villain in a sense. She's not all portrayed as being good in the movie, albeit she was definitely redeemed by the end. But it's good that the movie didn't just make her an angel since the start
Disney really said "Let's take the most beloved yet underwritten villain we have and use her to tell a really well thought out and psychologically honest allegory about a sexual assault survivor reclaiming her power." I couldn't believe it when I saw this in theaters and was blown away by the audacity of the idea and the tenderness with which it was executed.
It's one of if not my favourite classic themed Disney film. As I get older, Up loses its charm because of how tragic it really is, and Marvel didn't do anything for me until these recent phases 4 and 5. The original films never quite appealed to me albeit Belle is almost beat for beat how I live. But Maleficent being wronged by someone so close to her and the sequel glamorizing her power further, it's just so perfect, and you don't have to be a survivor to relate but if you are, the depth is so astounding. I wish there was a third about a glorious future where the fae and humans tackle a new threat together.
@@Nicamonuh he should never have taken them from her in the first place! If he just HAD to be king, he could’ve been honest with her and maybe they could’ve come up with some plan to fake her death and fool the king that did NOT involve hurting her. Instead, he drugs her and takes away a crucial part of her body … I hope I don’t have to spell out the thing for which this behavior is a clear metaphor/fantasy equivalent.
True. Stefan was really evil. Likewise, the fact that Maleficent tried to get revenge months/years later by deliberately attacking an innocent baby and putting a child into a coma tells you everything you need to know about her.
@@PyroDrew Tell me you don't understand without telling me you don't understand. Geeze he violated her, of course she wanted revenge! Even if they didn't end up doing it I'm sure the thought has occurred to plenty of other victims.
There is not one single person that expected Maleficent to go hard in the paint like this, and, imo, there isn’t a single disney live action that has lived up.
This is definitely the best Disney live action remake. I haven’t seen Cinderella yet (not the horrific Netflix one, but the one with Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother), but I hear that was actually really good, too.
I disagree. All the characters in the movie were just warped into worse versions, except Diaval/Diablo. Stefan was a weak evil and crazy villain. Aurora was untalented, naive and foolish. Phillip was a weak self-proclaimed "clumsy fool" who didn't want to even kiss Aurora to save her life. The 3 pixie fairies were not only bad nannies/guardians, but their magic was weak. Aurora's birth mother didn't even have "true love" for her own daughter. All just to make Maleficent and her evil actions not look as bad. And the all powerful Maleficent and great leader of the Moors chooses a weak untalented loser thief who has nothing going for him as her boyfriend? Ugh.
I really love how some of the gifts were blended into the story. Like how it was said everyone who met her would love her, and Maleficent despite cursing her couldn't help but feed her and take care of her. Or how Maleficent said no power could break her curse and not even her own attempts to undo it would change it. I just think it's neat
My one minor nitpick about this amazing movie is we didn't get to see more of Stefan becoming unhinged. Maleficent didn't even have to do anything, this dude was descending into madness. It's a children's movie at the end of the day so I get why but Sharlto Copley did such a good job, I'd have liked to have seen more. Also, the part where the crow transforms for the first time in front of teen Aurora was hilarious, like this was an animal companion since you were a baby and it was a dude the entire time, a grown ass dude, Lmao.
@calvintyler9281 True, there was the curse, initially, but he became increasingly unhinged after that, during those 15 or so years. She didn't make him send his daughter away with 3 random fairies, she never showed herself to him during those years, Maleficent wasn't taunting him or interacting with him in any way. That's what I meant by she didn't have to do anything to him, after all she didn't curse him, she cursed his daughter who he honestly didn't really give a shit about as a person. But I'm not glossing over what Maleficent did either, the curse was an evil act, and the movie doesn't shy away from that fact either, thankfully.
I think that's what makes it successful at the end of the day, you want to see more. I think the film works without it since then you get to imagine your own circumstances. I like to think he was just genuinely greedy, and admired her for the wrong reasons. So the idea is that one should really get to know the people they trust, their motivations
The scene when her wings are taken being a SA allegory always makes me tear up and I’m glad you noticed and saw the film though that lenses to see the depth of Maleficent’s character ❤
In the original screenplay for Maleficent (that they had to reshoot to what we have now), she was the abused niece of a Fairy King and Queen played by Peter Capaldi and Miranda Richardson. So she was already in a position of power as a child, but also had the damaged psych and view of the world.
I’m with you on this. If I had made friends with magic, winged Angelina Jolie I would leave the realm of man forever. Also it seems her magic doesn’t work on herself. That’s why she’s the only one who can truly love Aurora, she’s unaffected by the loved-by-all curse. However, the curse also has a no-power-on-earth-can-change-it clause, so even Maleficent can’t undo it, burning the spindlewheels won’t stop it, putting her to sleep for her 16th birthday wouldn’t work, cutting off her fingers wouldn’t work, *no power on earth can change it*. You can even hear that part of the curse echoing when Maleficent tries to revoke the curse.
Too many of the live action Disney remakes have solely been about retaining copyright, but Maleficent works because it tells a damn good story seen from the other side.
I love how we get to see this other side to Maleficent. Also Angelina's daughter is in the movie. She plays the toddler because the other kids were scared of her when she was in costume but of course her daughter knew it was her mom
I picked up 2 details that you yourself mentioned during this movie reaction / commentary that I would like to share / point out ! 1st detail , ( not major but it means something to me ) - I noticed that when aurora was talking to her fairy godmother ( maleficent ) , you said how aurora could just live there in the enchanted forest with maleficent like Stefan could have done , but instead he decided to choose the human population over a whole magical kingdom. You also said that Stefan wife ( the queen ) and maleficent could raise aurora on there own , that brought a smile to my face because not only would that be a platonic / iconic couple , it’ll be a lgbt family and I think it’ll suit the enchanted forest life style. You also mentioned towards the end where you said “ or how bout this , you keep aurora there and line Prince’s AND Princess’s “ , basically keeping aurora’s options open to many opportunities if she doesn’t like a man. 2nd detail , - This detail is slightly but surly correlated to the first detail. When the 3 pixies asked the Prince if he loved aurora , trying to get him to kiss her. He himself said he barley knew her and that just just met , and the only reason why I’m glad that the kiss he gave aurora didn’t work is because he just met her , how can someone possibly fall in love within the span of 24-48 hours. also when it come to “ true loves kiss “ it’s depicted that a man kisses a women to be considered a true loves kiss but In this movie the true loves kiss came from maleficent which is a HUGE win in my books! That just goes to show , anything can be considered true loves kiss either is it’s between lovers , family , or friends! I thank you for your amazing reaction and I hope to see more ! ❤
This was released around the time of Frozen too. I love that Disney heard us and gave us a variety of story about true love, what it means. Encanto flew because of these earlier films sprinting. I can't wait to see what they come up with next. Elemental was that classic straight love story everyone should be able to feel to some degree, even if it means they hate it. Can we get a lesbian princess who is just happily in a relationship? Will it be Elsa? Man, that'd be phenomenal, since Frozen 3 and 4 are in production, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I think socially we need more time: even Encanto attracted a crowd who wanted romance, when it's one of the ultimate best familial stories. Ugh, I wish Maleficent just ended up with the other queen! One day..
i get the metaphor that aurora helped maleficent gain her wings back but i almost wished they had looked different? like maybe been decayed/withered in the box and when she got them back they looked different from before. i understand why they didn't, but it would have been a beautiful way to symbolize that she got them back but they were different - so not going back to the way it was before, but something new. if that makes sense at all? ANYWAY, wonderful reaction! this is my favorite live action disney movie to date.
I'm at the beginning of the commentary, but I love how Jess is going thru the same route as Dylan (Dylan is in trouble): the line of "why the heck would you leave this woman, she is magical, beautiful and live in a magical realm rent free"
Do y'all watch the Tomb Raider films and just bask in her acting? Cuz you should.... They're really great films if you just kick back and enjoy a woman being cool, it's like Kill Bill for me. Lost count of how many times I've seen em now haha
maleficent is very underrated as an adaptation. it's always felt like such a fresh take on the sleeping beauty story, and the scene after maleficent gets her wings cut off is always haunting. another recommendation for you to potentially check out would be anything by the theatre production company, team starkid (most well known for their harry potter parody musical that they created for i believe a college project back in 2008, that they posted on youtube as way to share with their family and friends, but it went viral). they post their musicals for free on youtube, which is part of what makes them so popular :) particularly recommend 'twisted', which is a wicked-esque aladdin parody that will have you laughing out loud one minute and crying the next, and their original musical series, called 'the hatchetfield series', starting with 'the guy who didn't like musicals'. i def think the hatchtefield series would be right up your street. starkid are pretty chill with reaction/commentary content, i believe, as it's essentially promotion for them, so you won't get any kind of copyright strikes from them, at least i've never heard of anyone getting struck.
8:50 a theme similar in Ella Enchanted. It sounds like a well intentioned gift but it can become a curse. Toxic positivity. Youve gotta gotta check out the sequel. More fairies and some info on Maleficent’s species.
ngelina said that to her stephan cutting of her wings reprecented something like S/A so she played it that way. She trusted him, he stomped on that trust by druging her and stripping her of something that was precious to her, something she choosed to share with him and he didn`t think it was enough so he just took away it all. He also crippeled her for life by taking away the wings as she was used to have the weight for counter balance. (yes she gets her wings back but she dosen´t know that) Also in the time period the original movie was set it was seen as a GREAT insult to not invite everyone of the same status in the kindom, by inviting the 3 faries but leaving her out arguably the most powerful of them it´s like them spitting her in the face.
I remember not liking when I was younger, but I truly appreciate it now. I never realized how many movies don't really focus on a family bond between two women (mostly between a mom figure and daughter figure) so it feels extra nice.
I think this movie is one of the better live action ports. The fact that it retold the story turning the villain into the hero makes it an interesting version. Cruella also did the same thing, and is a damn good movie.
Yeeesss so glad you've seen this now! It's one of my all time fav live action adaptations. The true love story being that of found love is such an incredibly strong message. I can't wait to see your reaction to the sequel!
The reason Maleficent couldn't revoke her curse is because the declared "No power on earth change it." Those words became a reality so she had to let the spell play out.
-Audiences: We love this movie because it's a cool re-imagining of a beloved Disney villain giving her sympathetic motivations and characterization she didn't really have in the original, as well as a heartbreaking story of a woman recovering from a man's betrayal in the worst way possible (we all know what that scene meant) and learning to heal her hurt by caring for someone else. -Disney Execs: People love this movie because people don't like animation! They want live action! Years of mediocre live action adaptations as consequence.
I loved this remake so much. One of the better ones. Every time Stephan opened his mouth I wanted to sew it shut though. The effects were amazing and it's honestly one of the most beautiful remakes. Probably on par with Avatar visually (Imo)
I did not expect this gift of a reaction today and omg what a blessing! I love this movie so much. The horrible metaphor of him taking her wings, but the beautiful twist on the true love’s kiss. It’s magnificent! And Angelina Jolie is just perfect for the role. Your commentary had me applauding throughout. Hear-hear! It really was dumb to send Aurora to the forest and isolate her completely. Doesn’t get to raise and love his daughter (probably best for her) and doesn’t give her a chance to fall in love. Fortunately, Maleficent is mother and was always so much better than those who hurt her.
At the beginning when you were talking about the fairy giving a gift that was really more of a curse, it reminded me of Ella Enchanted which you should watch if you ever have time. I also recommend watching the sequel to this movie because even though it’s not quite as good as the first one, it’s still interesting.
Along with Maleficent, I think the live action Cinderella is one of the few good live action movies that Disney has made. It would be amazing if you watched Cinderella!!
I liked this film more than most of the live action films. I liked the twist of a traditional fairy tale. I also like James Newton Howard’s musical score in this film.
The scene where Maleficent wakes up and realizes her wings are gone has to be one of the most gut-wrenching, devastating scenes I’ve watched, especially in a Disney film. I love this film so much. ❤ I watched the original a lot growing up but I prefer this version of the story.
I’ve already watched this movie a couple of times, but the first time I teared up and cried was with you. You make us feel the movie in a different way, getting the deepness of some scenes we didn’t get before… Please watch Maleficent 2, is so good as this one!
Let’s be honest, humans are willing to do anything it takes to get what they want without the consequences in mind. That’s what this movie portrays, and that love is what changes things.
I don't think the kingdom knew that Maleficent was the 'winged creature' because, as you pointed out, they didn't bother to ask her name when they tried to invade her kingdom and wipe them out and no-one really got that good a look at her outside her wings and may have assumed she was one of a few like how the pixies have similar body shapes and same with the tree creatures; they may have assumed Maleficent and the winged creature were the same species rather than the same person. Stefan and the Pixies knew her name because they'd met her before but no-one in that Kingdom had before. I never really thought about what a *huge* plot hole it is that Aurora is largely safe *until* her 16th birthday so instead of trying to outright avoid the curse, they should have been trying to *find* her true love in order to break the curse instead, like the ultimate uno reverse card, but Stefan is just a servant and wasn't raised on battle strategy and politics and everything else that goes into running a kingdom which is probably why he's so incompetent. I feel bad for the queen, her dad dies but only after arranging her marriage to someone she's never met who is wholly unqualified for the job of ruling the kingdom and he, as the king, has more power and say than her so even if she *was* a brilliant ruler and strategist his ego would never allow him to 'let' her have a say...I mean look how he treated the *last* powerful women who trusted him. He wants power but when he has the opportunity to live with women more powerful than him, he invariably destroys them in the quest of *his own* power. Kind of makes you thankful he was almost never near Aurora, what damage would he have caused her?! I also love that the 'evil woman's' back story was so greatly improved since it used to be that Maleficent was angry she wasn't invited to the Aurora's christening...so she cursed the baby and the kingdom to have a death like sleep for 100+ *years* because that motivation it's genuinely soooo problematic and shallow.
"Y'all could have united the human and the magical world" - You're getting ahead of the story ! If you liked this you should check out the sequel, which provides some backstory for Maleficent.
Of all the remakes this one is by far my favorite. I absolutely love the take on the story and it did a lot more than what the other remakes did. Sadly I think a lot of people hated it when it came out which caused Disney to stop being creative with the remakes.
I appreciate that you understood the allegory for assault. Most reactors take that scene so literally. They definitely pinpoint how her innocence was stolen along with her wings, not to mention how he druged her to use her body for his own selfish needs. And then reminding her that it happened in order to feel powerful. Your interpretation is exactly what I was thinking when I first saw it. As for a story where it's a kidnapping instead of a curse, try Rapunzel-- Barbie has a more empathetic villain motive. Well, more realistic, at least.
Love your analysis as always. cant wait for Maleficent 2. hope you have enough time and health to film for us. The Disney series would be amazing and theraputic with you!
I loved the movie once the movie came out. Just realizing this now, Maleficent cursed the baby based on Stefan's lies and actions. When Maleficent said, "Before the sun sets on her 16th birthday," that's actually when Stefan gave her the gift of 'true love's kiss' when she was 16. In the scene when the naration was going on about them growing up, you'll see that the sun was setting when the kiss happened. As Maleficent continued on with the curse when she said the princess will prick her finger on the spindle of the spinning and "fall into a sleep-like death," the sleep part of the curse originated from the scene when Stefan came over and poisoned her to sleep just to become king. To finalize the curse, Maleficent designated the 'true love's kiss' as the key to end it because both Maleficent and Stefan believes does not exist.
I think when she tried to revoke the curse it didn’t work because of the words she said when she invoked the curse…”No power on Earth could change it.” Maybe not even her own
Sorry I'm late! That True Love's Kiss scene rips my heart open every time. To see your little girl (she spent a LOT of time raising that kid) in that state... oof.
I need to give the live action villain movies a shot. All I've seen of the live action remakes are Beauty & the Beast and Mulan. And, both of those haven't given me much interest in going any farther. I've been meaning to look into Cruella sometime, and I didn't realize Maleficent had such a loyal following. Anyways, thanks for sharing as always, Jess!
i thought cruella was good!! it's definitely a departure from the original story, but i think i prefer it that way? plus, i'm never going to complain about watching emma stone 😂 i hope you enjoy it if you watch it!!
I absolutely love your reactions, you should definitely start a Disney Live Action Playlist!! I've loved your stop and go commentary for years... how'd I be with any friends!! (Like please pause let me explain) Thank you for your hard work! 🥰
14:11 The reversing didn't work cause' when she cast the curse she literally said "this curse will last forever and no power on earth can change it" not even her's
Yeah, its weird. As a kid this character gave me nightmares for years and I saw Scream at age 6. Seeing this updated version of Maleficent which added depth and nuance to a ‘villainous’ character was fitting given the time when this movie came out morally gray characters were frequent especially in shows like Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy, all great watches by the way if you’re interested. But decent movie with an excellent performance by Angelina that is overlooked to this day. Some outright hate it since the character is supposed to be 100% evil but I personally liked this take.
05:07 - 05:10 True. 05:38 And 1 of the very few complaints I have about this movie is that"Maleficent"wasn't a nickname they gave her when she became temporarily Evil. It makes no sense for that to be her _real_ name in this version of the story. 06:25 - 07:04 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔 08:34 - 08:39 I mean..in this version their leader is literally prof. Umbridge...I could *_never_* trust them!X-[ I *LOVE* Maleficent and Aurora and their relationship in this movie!!!!😭💛🖤 15:33 - 15:36 I mean..he IS completely forgettable in THIS version. That's the other flaw of this movie:making Phillip completely useless. #Justice4Phillip 🤎 18:48 - 18:55 You just predicted what's about to happen in this movie and _also_ was right about the cartoon.(In the cartoon _she's_ the dragon,in the movie she turns _him_ into 1.) 19:32 -19:57 I mean..as much as I *LOVE* this"twist"it was the most predictable twist EVER considering this movie came out just *1 year after"Frozen"!!!* 😵 21:36 - 21:45 And if you want this 👈 to make sense,PLEASE *NEVER WATCH THE SEQUEL!!!* 22:45 - 22:46 The most stupid thing Stefan did was not giving Maleficent her wings back *as soon* as the old king died. If he did that,this whole mess could have been avoided!🤦♂
Flora, Fauna and Merriweather in the original movie: God-tier aunties. Flora, Fauna and Merriweather in this version: Why didn't Maleficent kill them the instant they first appeared? Also, this, its sequel and Cruella are the only live-action Disney remakes worth anything and I'll die on that hill.
The reason the spell couldn’t break is because Maleficent said no power on earth can break it. Even hers and it is echoed when she realized she couldn’t take it back.
I love this movie...it has an amazibg cast Also I'm not sure if you noticed the actresses of one of the sisters She played Professor Umbridge in Harry Potter
Fun fact: the baby actor who was saying "Up, Up" was Angelina Jolie's daughter cause all the other kids where scared of her dressed like that so they used her daughter cause she Was the only one not scared. 🥺
That is so wholesome 😭💝🥺
One of my favourite aspects of the film is the fact that they BOTH look extremely, genuinely happy, beyond it, actually joyous so to speak, in that scene. They made the right choice, imagine if they used cgi and it was a Renesmé 2.0
I can't get over how adorable that is!
Angelina Jolie as Maleficent was really an excellent casting choice.
The fact that the little girl was her biological daughter because all the kids they cast were too scared of her in costume
I don't think anyone else could have done it.
Well she actually produced the movie, so she casted herself 😂
@@andreasolis85 And she's said that Maleficient is her favorite Disney villain, so yeah, of course she was going to play her!
Angelina Jolie stated she wanted the scene where she woke up and realised her wings to reflect SA, as Maleficent was drugged by someone she trusted and taken advantage of, and when she woke up, a part of her was gone and she lashed out at the world.
Wow I never thought about that as an SA metaphor. But now I think about it that makes a lot of sense
Maleficent is such a hidden gem. Instead of just copying the source material they actually made something original and AWESOME from it!
If Disney did this for all of their live-action remakes, then I would still be excited to watch them.
Definitely
Yep!! I know people were upset that she wasn’t a villain but I liked getting to know why she went down that road
@@BrotherAlpha 100% Agreed
@@littlesparrow303I think she's still a villain in a sense. She's not all portrayed as being good in the movie, albeit she was definitely redeemed by the end. But it's good that the movie didn't just make her an angel since the start
Disney really said "Let's take the most beloved yet underwritten villain we have and use her to tell a really well thought out and psychologically honest allegory about a sexual assault survivor reclaiming her power."
I couldn't believe it when I saw this in theaters and was blown away by the audacity of the idea and the tenderness with which it was executed.
It's one of if not my favourite classic themed Disney film. As I get older, Up loses its charm because of how tragic it really is, and Marvel didn't do anything for me until these recent phases 4 and 5. The original films never quite appealed to me albeit Belle is almost beat for beat how I live. But Maleficent being wronged by someone so close to her and the sequel glamorizing her power further, it's just so perfect, and you don't have to be a survivor to relate but if you are, the depth is so astounding. I wish there was a third about a glorious future where the fae and humans tackle a new threat together.
The fact that Stefan could’ve had a happy simple life with Maleficent and chose his own ambitions tells you everything you need to know about him
I don't really blame Stefan for wanting to become king...I blame him for not giving Maleficent her wings back _as soon_ as the old king died!
and about humans too 😅
@@Nicamonuh he should never have taken them from her in the first place! If he just HAD to be king, he could’ve been honest with her and maybe they could’ve come up with some plan to fake her death and fool the king that did NOT involve hurting her. Instead, he drugs her and takes away a crucial part of her body … I hope I don’t have to spell out the thing for which this behavior is a clear metaphor/fantasy equivalent.
True. Stefan was really evil. Likewise, the fact that Maleficent tried to get revenge months/years later by deliberately attacking an innocent baby and putting a child into a coma tells you everything you need to know about her.
@@PyroDrew Tell me you don't understand without telling me you don't understand. Geeze he violated her, of course she wanted revenge! Even if they didn't end up doing it I'm sure the thought has occurred to plenty of other victims.
There is not one single person that expected Maleficent to go hard in the paint like this, and, imo, there isn’t a single disney live action that has lived up.
This is definitely the best Disney live action remake. I haven’t seen Cinderella yet (not the horrific Netflix one, but the one with Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother), but I hear that was actually really good, too.
_Maleficent_ is the true example of taking a story and changing it... but for the better!
I disagree. All the characters in the movie were just warped into worse versions, except Diaval/Diablo. Stefan was a weak evil and crazy villain. Aurora was untalented, naive and foolish. Phillip was a weak self-proclaimed "clumsy fool" who didn't want to even kiss Aurora to save her life. The 3 pixie fairies were not only bad nannies/guardians, but their magic was weak. Aurora's birth mother didn't even have "true love" for her own daughter. All just to make Maleficent and her evil actions not look as bad. And the all powerful Maleficent and great leader of the Moors chooses a weak untalented loser thief who has nothing going for him as her boyfriend? Ugh.
I really love how some of the gifts were blended into the story. Like how it was said everyone who met her would love her, and Maleficent despite cursing her couldn't help but feed her and take care of her. Or how Maleficent said no power could break her curse and not even her own attempts to undo it would change it. I just think it's neat
I interpret the regaining of her wings as her symbolically healing from trauma
My one minor nitpick about this amazing movie is we didn't get to see more of Stefan becoming unhinged. Maleficent didn't even have to do anything, this dude was descending into madness. It's a children's movie at the end of the day so I get why but Sharlto Copley did such a good job, I'd have liked to have seen more. Also, the part where the crow transforms for the first time in front of teen Aurora was hilarious, like this was an animal companion since you were a baby and it was a dude the entire time, a grown ass dude, Lmao.
Tbf the crow *is* his original form
Her not having to do anything other than CURSE HIS DAUGHTER makes sense 🤨
@calvintyler9281 True, there was the curse, initially, but he became increasingly unhinged after that, during those 15 or so years. She didn't make him send his daughter away with 3 random fairies, she never showed herself to him during those years, Maleficent wasn't taunting him or interacting with him in any way. That's what I meant by she didn't have to do anything to him, after all she didn't curse him, she cursed his daughter who he honestly didn't really give a shit about as a person. But I'm not glossing over what Maleficent did either, the curse was an evil act, and the movie doesn't shy away from that fact either, thankfully.
@@Jocke-04 Yeah, but Aurora didn't know that until he just changed into a dude right before her awe struck eyes.
I think that's what makes it successful at the end of the day, you want to see more. I think the film works without it since then you get to imagine your own circumstances. I like to think he was just genuinely greedy, and admired her for the wrong reasons. So the idea is that one should really get to know the people they trust, their motivations
The scene when her wings are taken being a SA allegory always makes me tear up and I’m glad you noticed and saw the film though that lenses to see the depth of Maleficent’s character ❤
it's honestly heartbreaking!! 😭
It’s very interesting how no male reactors I’ve seen pick up on that, but most of the female reactors do.
the best decision made was having lana del rey sing "once upon a dream" it's so fitting for a maleficent take on the original song
In the original screenplay for Maleficent (that they had to reshoot to what we have now), she was the abused niece of a Fairy King and Queen played by Peter Capaldi and Miranda Richardson. So she was already in a position of power as a child, but also had the damaged psych and view of the world.
oh! that's so interesting?! and also, i can't believe we almost got peter capaldi onscreen here 😅
“This bird is a dad now.”
I’m with you on this. If I had made friends with magic, winged Angelina Jolie I would leave the realm of man forever.
Also it seems her magic doesn’t work on herself. That’s why she’s the only one who can truly love Aurora, she’s unaffected by the loved-by-all curse. However, the curse also has a no-power-on-earth-can-change-it clause, so even Maleficent can’t undo it, burning the spindlewheels won’t stop it, putting her to sleep for her 16th birthday wouldn’t work, cutting off her fingers wouldn’t work, *no power on earth can change it*. You can even hear that part of the curse echoing when Maleficent tries to revoke the curse.
Too many of the live action Disney remakes have solely been about retaining copyright, but Maleficent works because it tells a damn good story seen from the other side.
I love how we get to see this other side to Maleficent.
Also Angelina's daughter is in the movie. She plays the toddler because the other kids were scared of her when she was in costume but of course her daughter knew it was her mom
Maleficent is such an underrated movie and so well done
I picked up 2 details that you yourself mentioned during this movie reaction / commentary that I would like to share / point out !
1st detail , ( not major but it means something to me )
- I noticed that when aurora was talking to her fairy godmother ( maleficent ) , you said how aurora could just live there in the enchanted forest with maleficent like Stefan could have done , but instead he decided to choose the human population over a whole magical kingdom. You also said that Stefan wife ( the queen ) and maleficent could raise aurora on there own , that brought a smile to my face because not only would that be a platonic / iconic couple , it’ll be a lgbt family and I think it’ll suit the enchanted forest life style. You also mentioned towards the end where you said “ or how bout this , you keep aurora there and line Prince’s AND Princess’s “ , basically keeping aurora’s options open to many opportunities if she doesn’t like a man.
2nd detail ,
- This detail is slightly but surly correlated to the first detail. When the 3 pixies asked the Prince if he loved aurora , trying to get him to kiss her. He himself said he barley knew her and that just just met , and the only reason why I’m glad that the kiss he gave aurora didn’t work is because he just met her , how can someone possibly fall in love within the span of 24-48 hours. also when it come to “ true loves kiss “ it’s depicted that a man kisses a women to be considered a true loves kiss but In this movie the true loves kiss came from maleficent which is a HUGE win in my books! That just goes to show , anything can be considered true loves kiss either is it’s between lovers , family , or friends!
I thank you for your amazing reaction and I hope to see more ! ❤
This was released around the time of Frozen too. I love that Disney heard us and gave us a variety of story about true love, what it means. Encanto flew because of these earlier films sprinting.
I can't wait to see what they come up with next. Elemental was that classic straight love story everyone should be able to feel to some degree, even if it means they hate it.
Can we get a lesbian princess who is just happily in a relationship? Will it be Elsa? Man, that'd be phenomenal, since Frozen 3 and 4 are in production, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
I think socially we need more time: even Encanto attracted a crowd who wanted romance, when it's one of the ultimate best familial stories.
Ugh, I wish Maleficent just ended up with the other queen! One day..
I love those theories!! I completely agree that the true love's kiss could've been romantic or platonic☺12:54,18:32
i get the metaphor that aurora helped maleficent gain her wings back but i almost wished they had looked different? like maybe been decayed/withered in the box and when she got them back they looked different from before. i understand why they didn't, but it would have been a beautiful way to symbolize that she got them back but they were different - so not going back to the way it was before, but something new. if that makes sense at all? ANYWAY, wonderful reaction! this is my favorite live action disney movie to date.
I'm at the beginning of the commentary, but I love how Jess is going thru the same route as Dylan (Dylan is in trouble): the line of "why the heck would you leave this woman, she is magical, beautiful and live in a magical realm rent free"
no like it doesn't make sense !!! there is NO rent AND you're with someone who has magic & can fly?! it should be a no-brainer 😂😭
“I do not trust them to do anything” honestly same
Anything with Angelina Jolie was obviously gonna be good I had this movie on dvd and would watch it every time I went to my grandmothers home
Do y'all watch the Tomb Raider films and just bask in her acting? Cuz you should.... They're really great films if you just kick back and enjoy a woman being cool, it's like Kill Bill for me. Lost count of how many times I've seen em now haha
Her performance in “Girl Interrupted” is one of my favorite performances.
I love listening to you roasting Stephan all the way🤣
he kept making some of the worst choices 😭
13:15 "imagine if we didnt curse the child, we just stole a child" well... she is a fae...
Angelina Jolie brings humanity to the Disney villain which is something the animated version didn’t really have
maleficent is very underrated as an adaptation. it's always felt like such a fresh take on the sleeping beauty story, and the scene after maleficent gets her wings cut off is always haunting.
another recommendation for you to potentially check out would be anything by the theatre production company, team starkid (most well known for their harry potter parody musical that they created for i believe a college project back in 2008, that they posted on youtube as way to share with their family and friends, but it went viral). they post their musicals for free on youtube, which is part of what makes them so popular :)
particularly recommend 'twisted', which is a wicked-esque aladdin parody that will have you laughing out loud one minute and crying the next, and their original musical series, called 'the hatchetfield series', starting with 'the guy who didn't like musicals'. i def think the hatchtefield series would be right up your street. starkid are pretty chill with reaction/commentary content, i believe, as it's essentially promotion for them, so you won't get any kind of copyright strikes from them, at least i've never heard of anyone getting struck.
AVPM was my life growing up, so i def need to check out some of their other musicals sometime!!!
8:50 a theme similar in Ella Enchanted. It sounds like a well intentioned gift but it can become a curse. Toxic positivity.
Youve gotta gotta check out the sequel. More fairies and some info on Maleficent’s species.
ngelina said that to her stephan cutting of her wings reprecented something like S/A so she played it that way. She trusted him, he stomped on that trust by druging her and stripping her of something that was precious to her, something she choosed to share with him and he didn`t think it was enough so he just took away it all. He also crippeled her for life by taking away the wings as she was used to have the weight for counter balance. (yes she gets her wings back but she dosen´t know that)
Also in the time period the original movie was set it was seen as a GREAT insult to not invite everyone of the same status in the kindom, by inviting the 3 faries but leaving her out arguably the most powerful of them it´s like them spitting her in the face.
Literally my favorite live action Disney series
I remember not liking when I was younger, but I truly appreciate it now. I never realized how many movies don't really focus on a family bond between two women (mostly between a mom figure and daughter figure) so it feels extra nice.
I think this movie is one of the better live action ports. The fact that it retold the story turning the villain into the hero makes it an interesting version. Cruella also did the same thing, and is a damn good movie.
Such a good movie, this is how Disney should approach all their live action films tbh.
Yeeesss so glad you've seen this now! It's one of my all time fav live action adaptations. The true love story being that of found love is such an incredibly strong message. I can't wait to see your reaction to the sequel!
The reason Maleficent couldn't revoke her curse is because the declared "No power on earth change it." Those words became a reality so she had to let the spell play out.
Fun fact, in all the makeup other kids feared Angelina Jolie so they had to use her own kid for that and I find it so cute.
-Audiences: We love this movie because it's a cool re-imagining of a beloved Disney villain giving her sympathetic motivations and characterization she didn't really have in the original, as well as a heartbreaking story of a woman recovering from a man's betrayal in the worst way possible (we all know what that scene meant) and learning to heal her hurt by caring for someone else.
-Disney Execs: People love this movie because people don't like animation! They want live action!
Years of mediocre live action adaptations as consequence.
I loved this remake so much. One of the better ones. Every time Stephan opened his mouth I wanted to sew it shut though. The effects were amazing and it's honestly one of the most beautiful remakes. Probably on par with Avatar visually (Imo)
I really love how this movie made Stefan more and more paranoic ever since Maleficent cursed his daughter
I did not expect this gift of a reaction today and omg what a blessing! I love this movie so much. The horrible metaphor of him taking her wings, but the beautiful twist on the true love’s kiss. It’s magnificent! And Angelina Jolie is just perfect for the role. Your commentary had me applauding throughout. Hear-hear! It really was dumb to send Aurora to the forest and isolate her completely. Doesn’t get to raise and love his daughter (probably best for her) and doesn’t give her a chance to fall in love. Fortunately, Maleficent is mother and was always so much better than those who hurt her.
I just realised the pink fairy is Umbridge
At the beginning when you were talking about the fairy giving a gift that was really more of a curse, it reminded me of Ella Enchanted which you should watch if you ever have time. I also recommend watching the sequel to this movie because even though it’s not quite as good as the first one, it’s still interesting.
Along with Maleficent, I think the live action Cinderella is one of the few good live action movies that Disney has made. It would be amazing if you watched Cinderella!!
I liked this film more than most of the live action films. I liked the twist of a traditional fairy tale. I also like James Newton Howard’s musical score in this film.
I’m SO glad you’re doing a reaction to this!! It’s one of my favorite Disney movies and it’s so underrated.
The scene where Maleficent wakes up and realizes her wings are gone has to be one of the most gut-wrenching, devastating scenes I’ve watched, especially in a Disney film. I love this film so much. ❤ I watched the original a lot growing up but I prefer this version of the story.
I really liked this movie when I finally saw it, but I think it has mostly grown on me. The more I see it the more it seems to resonate.
I’ve already watched this movie a couple of times, but the first time I teared up and cried was with you. You make us feel the movie in a different way, getting the deepness of some scenes we didn’t get before… Please watch Maleficent 2, is so good as this one!
STOP- I love this movie actually so excited for you to watch it
Maleficent is so good! You’ve got to see the second one!
You need to watch the second one, It's really good!
Let’s be honest, humans are willing to do anything it takes to get what they want without the consequences in mind. That’s what this movie portrays, and that love is what changes things.
I don't think the kingdom knew that Maleficent was the 'winged creature' because, as you pointed out, they didn't bother to ask her name when they tried to invade her kingdom and wipe them out and no-one really got that good a look at her outside her wings and may have assumed she was one of a few like how the pixies have similar body shapes and same with the tree creatures; they may have assumed Maleficent and the winged creature were the same species rather than the same person. Stefan and the Pixies knew her name because they'd met her before but no-one in that Kingdom had before.
I never really thought about what a *huge* plot hole it is that Aurora is largely safe *until* her 16th birthday so instead of trying to outright avoid the curse, they should have been trying to *find* her true love in order to break the curse instead, like the ultimate uno reverse card, but Stefan is just a servant and wasn't raised on battle strategy and politics and everything else that goes into running a kingdom which is probably why he's so incompetent. I feel bad for the queen, her dad dies but only after arranging her marriage to someone she's never met who is wholly unqualified for the job of ruling the kingdom and he, as the king, has more power and say than her so even if she *was* a brilliant ruler and strategist his ego would never allow him to 'let' her have a say...I mean look how he treated the *last* powerful women who trusted him. He wants power but when he has the opportunity to live with women more powerful than him, he invariably destroys them in the quest of *his own* power. Kind of makes you thankful he was almost never near Aurora, what damage would he have caused her?!
I also love that the 'evil woman's' back story was so greatly improved since it used to be that Maleficent was angry she wasn't invited to the Aurora's christening...so she cursed the baby and the kingdom to have a death like sleep for 100+ *years* because that motivation it's genuinely soooo problematic and shallow.
This movie is SOOOOO UNDERATED!!
"Y'all could have united the human and the magical world" - You're getting ahead of the story !
If you liked this you should check out the sequel, which provides some backstory for Maleficent.
Of all the remakes this one is by far my favorite. I absolutely love the take on the story and it did a lot more than what the other remakes did. Sadly I think a lot of people hated it when it came out which caused Disney to stop being creative with the remakes.
I appreciate that you understood the allegory for assault. Most reactors take that scene so literally. They definitely pinpoint how her innocence was stolen along with her wings, not to mention how he druged her to use her body for his own selfish needs. And then reminding her that it happened in order to feel powerful. Your interpretation is exactly what I was thinking when I first saw it.
As for a story where it's a kidnapping instead of a curse, try Rapunzel-- Barbie has a more empathetic villain motive. Well, more realistic, at least.
I found your reactions the other day and I've loved them all so much, you always seem to have very good insight about the plots!
Love your analysis as always. cant wait for Maleficent 2. hope you have enough time and health to film for us. The Disney series would be amazing and theraputic with you!
I loved the movie once the movie came out.
Just realizing this now, Maleficent cursed the baby based on Stefan's lies and actions. When Maleficent said, "Before the sun sets on her 16th birthday," that's actually when Stefan gave her the gift of 'true love's kiss' when she was 16. In the scene when the naration was going on about them growing up, you'll see that the sun was setting when the kiss happened. As Maleficent continued on with the curse when she said the princess will prick her finger on the spindle of the spinning and "fall into a sleep-like death," the sleep part of the curse originated from the scene when Stefan came over and poisoned her to sleep just to become king. To finalize the curse, Maleficent designated the 'true love's kiss' as the key to end it because both Maleficent and Stefan believes does not exist.
I really loved that movie, Angelina was perfectly cast. ❤
she really was!!
I like this movie WAY more than the OG Disney Sleeping Beauty
Super underrated movie, Angelina was amazing!
I think when she tried to revoke the curse it didn’t work because of the words she said when she invoked the curse…”No power on Earth could change it.” Maybe not even her own
Sorry I'm late! That True Love's Kiss scene rips my heart open every time. To see your little girl (she spent a LOT of time raising that kid) in that state... oof.
Great reaction video! I loved this movie. I hope you watch the second one too. I actually like that one even more!
I need to give the live action villain movies a shot. All I've seen of the live action remakes are Beauty & the Beast and Mulan. And, both of those haven't given me much interest in going any farther. I've been meaning to look into Cruella sometime, and I didn't realize Maleficent had such a loyal following.
Anyways, thanks for sharing as always, Jess!
i thought cruella was good!! it's definitely a departure from the original story, but i think i prefer it that way? plus, i'm never going to complain about watching emma stone 😂 i hope you enjoy it if you watch it!!
Love this! Great reaction. One of my favorite movies, for sure.
You should definitely do Maleficent 2 as well!
the sequel is also pretty good, I suggest watching that too!
I feel so bad for the blue pixie when Stephan hits her, you can see how badly it hurt🥺🥺🥺
13:15 I've seen that movie, that's Tangled isn't it?
6:31 that pissed me off so much! he really cut her wings! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
Always better than killing her...the thing I don't get is WHY didn't he RETURN her wings as soon as the old king died!!🤦♂
You should watch the 2nd movie of Maleficent too!! I'd love to see your commentary/reaction! 💖💖💖
Honestly you know that if the three fairies knew what happened to Maleficent they would ask "well what did SHE did to him?"
I absolutely love your reactions, you should definitely start a Disney Live Action Playlist!! I've loved your stop and go commentary for years... how'd I be with any friends!! (Like please pause let me explain)
Thank you for your hard work! 🥰
14:11 The reversing didn't work cause' when she cast the curse she literally said "this curse will last forever and no power on earth can change it" not even her's
14:00 there is a background voice if you can listen carefully says that "no power on earth can change it
I’m crying. I love this so movie so much-
Yeah, its weird. As a kid this character gave me nightmares for years and I saw Scream at age 6. Seeing this updated version of Maleficent which added depth and nuance to a ‘villainous’ character was fitting given the time when this movie came out morally gray characters were frequent especially in shows like Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy, all great watches by the way if you’re interested. But decent movie with an excellent performance by Angelina that is overlooked to this day. Some outright hate it since the character is supposed to be 100% evil but I personally liked this take.
The scene when Maleficent comes to after her mutilation by Stefan is truly horrific. Angelina Jolie really sold that moment!
“Where is the bird? Can we turn the bird into something stronger than a bird?” ☠️☠️
it's Lana Del Rey singing once upon a dream at the end 😊
I seriously hope you watch the second movie now! It’s honestly my favourite of the two.
Love this movie. Sequel is surprisingly dark
and good
@@Metzwerg74 it is
@@liltmarshall8717 No,it's not,it makes no sense.
Clicked immediately because this was my childhood
Please cover the sequel. You'll love it :)
11:53 the little girl is actually angelina's daughter
Maleficent is an incredibly done movie
05:07 - 05:10 True. 05:38 And 1 of the very few complaints I have about this movie is that"Maleficent"wasn't a nickname they gave her when she became temporarily Evil. It makes no sense for that to be her _real_ name in this version of the story.
06:25 - 07:04 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔 08:34 - 08:39 I mean..in this version their leader is literally prof. Umbridge...I could *_never_* trust them!X-[
I *LOVE* Maleficent and Aurora and their relationship in this movie!!!!😭💛🖤
15:33 - 15:36 I mean..he IS completely forgettable in THIS version. That's the other flaw of this movie:making Phillip completely useless. #Justice4Phillip 🤎
18:48 - 18:55 You just predicted what's about to happen in this movie and _also_ was right about the cartoon.(In the cartoon _she's_ the dragon,in the movie she turns _him_ into 1.)
19:32 -19:57 I mean..as much as I *LOVE* this"twist"it was the most predictable twist EVER considering this movie came out just *1 year after"Frozen"!!!* 😵
21:36 - 21:45 And if you want this 👈 to make sense,PLEASE *NEVER WATCH THE SEQUEL!!!*
22:45 - 22:46 The most stupid thing Stefan did was not giving Maleficent her wings back *as soon* as the old king died. If he did that,this whole mess could have been avoided!🤦♂
I have waited so long for this movie reaction! I LOVE Maleficent so much, and the second movie is really good too! 😍🔥💕
I love *this* movie,but the sequel not at all 👎 just like for"Frozen"and"Wreck It Ralph"!
Yes! The second one was incredible! 😊
@@Barbiegirlie-r1z In the sense that what happened was totally not believable.🤦♂
@@Nicamon was I talking to you? I've seen you everywhere on this comment section if anybody even speaks about the second one :/
Maleficent's problem is that she said "No Power On Earth Can Stop This Curse" and that included her.
Flora, Fauna and Merriweather in the original movie: God-tier aunties.
Flora, Fauna and Merriweather in this version: Why didn't Maleficent kill them the instant they first appeared?
Also, this, its sequel and Cruella are the only live-action Disney remakes worth anything and I'll die on that hill.
The reason the spell couldn’t break is because Maleficent said no power on earth can break it. Even hers and it is echoed when she realized she couldn’t take it back.
Imagine choosing the desire to become king over Mother effing Angelina Jolie, like sense was caught dead in a ditch
You used the word “violation “ regarding the theft of her wings I felt that when I saw it in the theater it was so hard to watch…
I love this movie...it has an amazibg cast
Also I'm not sure if you noticed the actresses of one of the sisters
She played Professor Umbridge in Harry Potter
Please react to the sequel.. I usually think they're pointlesss but i really enjoyed the sequel too. ❤
The first time I watched this, I also thought the bird might've been the True Love's Kiss 😂
You're BACK! I'd love to see your reaction to Loki 2