Hello readers! It's been a busy weekend, as I celebrated my birthday (we will pretend I am 29 again), but I did get out to the movies, which has taken me a bit since I haven't really had much desire to see anything as of late. But, this weekend was the opening of "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" and despite my resistance, I caved and saw "Joker" as well. I am going to start with "Maleficent" before I discuss "Joker." So! Let's begin:
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (Director: Joachim Rønning)
Alright, so, we all know that when it's been coming to live action remakes, for Disney, it's been hit or miss. Beauty and the Beast, hit. Cinderella, hit. The Lion King, miss (for me), Aladdin 50/50 (miss for me). But Sleeping Beauty has always been a soft spot for me, and I have never been able to full explain it. I prefer Aurora to all the princesses (despite that she does nothing and is pretty much only a vehicle for the story to move forward), and Maleficent has been, for me, the ultimate villain. She's just...PERFECTION! And hate all you want on Angelina Jolie, SHE IS MALEFICENT! PERIOD!
So, I will fully admit that the original 2014 "Maleficent" movie left me...underwhelmed. Oh, I will still watch it whenever it comes on television, and you better believe I own it. But, it just felt like it was lacking. And honestly, that's what happened with "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil." While "Maleficent" became more about learning to love, a mother/daughter relationship and humanizing Maleficent herself, the new "Mistress of Evil" movie feels like it was a continuation of these themes, with some other problems thrown in haphazardly. The relationship between Jolie's Maleficent and Aurora (played once again by Elle Fanning) is strained by the new engagement to Prince Phillip. Now, I WILL give Disney credit for giving Aurora more spirit than in the past, and trying to make her more than just a vehicle. But now, it's a bit of "Guess who is coming to dinner" as Phillip brings Maleficent and Aurora to meet his parents, where already Queen Ingrith (played FABULOUSLY by Michelle Pfeiffer) has an issue with the Fae. We get a very curt story as to WHY this is (honestly, they could have expanded on this more) and Maleficent is brought to the home of the Dark Fae to recover from an injury inflicted by weaponry belonging to the Queen. Yes, Dark Fae, which begins a whole other story line. This is where I say that some things felt like they were haphazardly thrown in. I honestly do believe that between this movie and the previous one, if you trimmed a few things from each of them, you could have combined these two into one longer movie. It might have worked better to go that route than try and do two movies.
The performances given by both Jolie and Pfeiffer are fantastic in and of themselves, and I am glad it's two female leads are pitted against each other. The visuals are once again stunning, a few cute nods to some of the original cartoon movie, and I can see sooooo many options for costumes and cosplays in the next year or two. But while the acting and visuals are fabulous, they could not make up for a script that was just part of an assembly line. Sorry Angelina!
Joker (Director: Todd Phillips)
OK, now, I will fully admit, I was NOT keen on seeing this when I saw the trailers. That opinion has NOTHING to do with Joaquin Phoenix himself. It has to do with the fact that, like Batman, we have had SOOOO MANY iterations of the Jokers that I am just SOOOO SICK OF IT!
However, with that being said, even with so many reincarnations, we have not had someone fully BECOME the Joker. As The Joker himself has said, "Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another ... if I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!" The Joker himself is a complex character: he is someone who considers himself funny, laughing constantly, all the while delving further into a madness that no one can fully explain except that he is a victim of circumstance. It almost gives new meaning to the phrase "Heading to Hell in a hand basket." I've seen many of the Jokers done, including animated ones and the one version that no DC fan will discuss (side-eye to Jared Leto). Out of all the performances that I have seen, Joaquin Phoenix COMMANDS the screen as the Joker/Arthur Fleck himself. It is quite honestly the CLOSEST we will ever get to a well-rounded Joker. He starts out mild-mannered, trying to keep a smile on his face, have delusions about what he wishes his life is like...until the circumstances continue to conspire against him. We are, quite literally, watching the last few straws snap in Fleck's mind that begin the madness that the Joker becomes well known for.
Now, mind you, there were some very throw away moments in the movie that felt completely unnecessary, and some things that could have been cut out (if you go see the movie, you will understand what I am talking about), but I believe they were put in there to help push the madness. I will give a forewarning: if you are squeamish, cover your eyes towards the end, or just be prepared to do so. The very ending gives off a Purge like feel, which when you take into account what Gotham is like before the Batman, it makes sense. However, I will say, do not let the story distract you from the performance. It truly is one of those performances you will rarely see, and should see while you have the chance.
