Angelina Jolie casts her spell to save Sleeping Beauty ‘re-imagining’ Maleficent

MALEFICENT: It may go down in history as the cheapest-looking $200 million movie ever shot, but an inspired Angelina Jolie stops the rot.

This photo released by Disney shows Angelina Jolie in a scene from "Maleficent." (AP Photo/Disney, Frank Connor)

DISNEY’S self-billed “live-action re-imagining” of their 1959 animated adaptation of Sleeping Beauty overcomes a stuttering start thanks to one steadying factor alone.

In her first screen appearance since 2010’s The Tourist, Angelina Jolie takes hold of the wheel at a critical juncture and steers Maleficent away from near-certain disaster.

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Angelina Jolie in a scene from <i>Maleficent</i>.

Fairytale fare designed to appeal to both adults and children alike has a chequered record at the cinema in recent times, and Maleficent initially falls into the same traps that ensnared the likes of Mirror, Mirror and Jack the Giant Slayer.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt arrive at the world premiere of <i>Maleficent</i> in LA.

The scripting coughs, splutters and seldom makes much sense. The special-effects work borders on terrible. What should be a finely wrought adventure for all ages is fast becoming a feelbad action flick nobody could possibly love.

And then, in the space of just a few scenes, Jolie stops the rot with an inspired and deceptively deep performance.

She plays the title character, a fairy warrior princess looking for revenge on the soldier king (Sharlto Copley) who was once her boyfriend.

With her ex newly married and celebrating the birth of his first child, Maleficent casts an unbreakable curse on the infant.

Should the fair Aurora (Elle Fanning) prick her finger on a spinning wheel before she turns 16 years of age, she will lapse into a coma that can only end with a kiss of true love.

Once the delightful Fanning joins Jolie at the forefront of proceedings, the vibrant chemistry of the pair lifts the film out of its rut.

Aurora accidentally crosses paths with Maleficent. A bond develops between the embittered fairy and the innocent teen that soon has Maleficent considering lifting that famous curse.

Maleficent casts her spell on baby Aurora.

What a shame she made it truly unbreakable, huh?

While Maleficent still may go down in history as the cheapest-looking $200 million movie ever shot, the finale summons tension, thrills and a moving majesty that most would have thought impossible just an hour earlier.

Maleficent (M)

Director: Robert Stromberg (feature debut)

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Juno Temple

Verdict: Three stars. Angelina returns, for better and for curse

Angelina Jolie poses at a hotel in Shanghai during a press event for <i>Maleficent</i>.

Originally published as Angelina Jolie casts her spell to save Sleeping Beauty ‘re-imagining’ Maleficent