Director Joachim Rønning welcomes the Disney-inspired film back to the big screen with a star-studded cast including Angelina Jolie, Michelle Pfeiffer, Elle Fanning and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Jolie stars as the title character, and the sequel further explores her life as a courageous, misunderstood fairy foe. There is more of Maleficent’s love, loyalty and past to unfold, as her relationship with Aurora (Fanning) and Aurora’s father (Harris Dickinson) goes left. The Sleeping Beauty spinoff is a classic vengeance tale, but also a love story, in which Maleficent shows off both her prowess in villainy and power to love.

The movie was released on October 18. Thus far, it has scored 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

‘MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL’ REVIEW ROUNDUP

“That doesn’t translate into magic, but in terms of improving on the original, giving the stars some reasonably good material to play and delivering action within its PG parameters, “Mistress of Evil” pretty much threads the needle.”

– Brian Lowry, CNN

“But it works best as a vehicle for Angelina Jolie, whose enhanced cheekbones and villainous cackle suggested the making of a camp icon.”

– Scott Tobias, NPR

“The Maleficent fashion show is in order, and Jolie shows up at her vampiest extreme to purse her lips, flash her fangs and arch her eyebrows as only a living cartoon character can.”

– Peter Debruge, Variety

“Mistress of Evil never manages to justify the return of all these characters, but in delving deeper into its fantasy world, it at least avoids the cardinal sin of being forgettable.”

– David Sims, The Atlantic

“It’s crucial that Ronning knows for how to maximize the mesmerizing nature of his special effects, generally avoiding scenes shrouded in incomprehensible darkness. The VFX team does a wonderful job with developing the various creatures of Mistress of Evil, some of them horribly grotesque, others kid-friendly and cuddly. The makeup and costume design team once again deserve major props as well, as Jolie often looks directly ripped from the cartoon design.”

– Andrew Auger, 6 NEWS/WRGB

Watch the Maleficent: Mistress of Evil official trailer below.

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