MALEFICENT Not Quite Magnificent, But Jolie Is

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Maleficent' on Blogcritics.

Disney’s Maleficent, a re-telling of the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty with a twist, comes to Blu-ray and DVD this week. Starring Angelina Jolie (Salt, Mr. & Mrs Smith) in the title role, this film seeks to give layers to what has often been a one-dimensional villain, unspooling the story from a different perspective. It’s one that mostly works. I admit to having relatively low expectations going in, despite a friend’s defense of it, which means the enjoyable result is a pleasant surprise.

Maleficent begins with the titular fairy as a young girl (played by Isobelle Molloy, EastEnders). She’s innocent and bold, loving life and the world around her. One day, Maleficent meets Stefan (Michael Higgins), a human. Despite his bad traits, such as a penchant for stealing, the two hit it off. Little does the girl know, though, that Stefan will grow up to be a manipulative man (Sharlto Copley, District 9) who will betray her in order to become king.

This is when Maleficent turns dark, somewhat early in the running time. After her wings are stolen in a moving sequence, her need for revenge is understandable. That she takes it out on an unborn child makes less sense,  but even this wronged version of the character is not one who will murder or maim, so perhaps it’s done in an empty-threat, kick-the-can-down-the-road sort of way. Once Aurora (Elle Fanning, Super 8) is born, though, and sent to live with three inept pixies (Harry Potter‘s Imelda Staunton, Fleming‘s Lesley Manville, and Killer Joe‘s Juno Temple), Maleficent can’t help but be drawn to the child, whom she comes to like and protect, which makes the fulfillment of the curse somewhat complicated.

While not normally a huge fan of Jolie, I don’t think the movie would work in practically anyone else’s hands. The role is perfect for her. Jolie captures the coldness and danger lurking beneath Malefient’s exterior, but also the vulnerability and magic of the part. She plays this evil-looking, yet still gorgeous, witch in a way that never feels scary, and that pairs nicely with the perpetually-sweet Aurora. Make no mistake about it, Jolie is the number one reason to watch this film.

The story itself isn’t bad. It’s a tad simplistic and predictable, while also weak in logic periodically. Yet it’s cohesive and plays out in a way that makes sense for the characters. Fast-paced enough to hold a child’s interest, the material is deep enough for adults to engage with, too, striking that rare balance in a movie that the whole family truly can enjoy.

Maleficent does push the boundaries of the PG rating. There is no cursing or sex, but there is plenty of violence, including some Lord of the Rings-esque battle scenes, which tend to be required for this type of movie these days (though they’re mostly unnecessary in this case). The humor, mostly delivered by the three pixies, who are well-cast with three terrific, somewhat underused actresses, is more silly than edgy, which may be a good thing for the target audience.

The visuals of Maleficent are mostly stunning as presented in 1080p high definition. There are some moments where certain characters are noticeably digital renderings, rather than actors, but the creatures that populate Maleficent’s moor, as well as the world the movie is set in, are beautiful. The pixies are done by blending the actresses’ actual features into animated creations in a very cool way. I only wish a 3D version were to be officially released in the U.S. (Amazon does have a region-free version listed) as this movie practically begs for that added depth, but it’s still a very good presentation. The audio levels are mixed in such a way that action scenes are a LOT louder than dialogue ones, so you do have to keep a hand on the remote. However, the clarity in the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix is crystal and music and voices coexist nicely when combined.

Maleficent does have a decent amount of extras, too. There are deleted scenes. The ones featuring the pixies better round out the characters than how they are shown in-film, so I wish they hadn’t been cut. There’s a featurette on Aurora, having Fanning talk about her part, which should appeal to young fans. For the older crowd, we see how the movie is made, the creation of the battle stuff, a look at the visual effects, and Maleficent’s costume elements.

While Maleficent is far from perfect, with Stefan making a forgettable villain, it is well-made and much more enjoyable than I expected it to be. It’s definitely worth a watch for the effects and Jolie’s performance, which are both excellent.

Maleficent arrives on Blu-ray and DVD November 4.

Blu-ray Review: An Adventure in Space and Time

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: ‘Doctor Who’ – ‘An Adventure in Space and Time’ on Blogcritics.

As part of Doctor Who‘s 50th anniversary celebration, BBC America aired a made-for-TV movie called An Adventure in Space and Time. This two-hour film gives us a piece of the story of the early days at the BBC when Doctor Who was first being made, with a focus on the show’s first titular star, William Hartnell (David Bradley, Harry Potter, Broadchurch), and producer Verity Lambert (Jessica Raine, Call the Midwife).

This project is a huge one to tackle. Not only does An Adventure in Space and Time reveal the origins of a legendary show, which is one of the longest-running series ever, but it also represents a bold, brave era for the network, an important tale to tell. Talk about groundbreaking, Doctor Who was the BBC’s first real attempt at science fiction and Lambert was the youngest producer at the network, the only female producer at the time. An important tale of this magnitude deserves better than this TV movie, unfortunately.

Now, let me preface my opinion by saying An Adventure in Space and Time is pretty good, definitely enjoyable. I think the acting is terrific, and I am excited to learn new things about this show and era. It is well-paced and the production looks good.

But it feels like a TV movie, rather than an epic film, not a good choice for such an iconic moment in history. Much of the story is told in small vignettes, stand-alone occurrences, rather than a cohesive narrative. Either Verity or Hartnell could easily rate their own full movie, but instead, each part is cut down so that there’s room for them both in one production. By combining them, both are under-served, without much exploration as to what Verity herself did to help the show along. Hartnell’s plot is bit more complete, with a clear beginning, middle, and end, but still, I would like a few more details, including a slower descent at the end. Not to mention, the film starts at the end then flashes back to the beginning, a tired trope that comes across as quite cheesy.

Bradley and Raine could pull off more complex versions of the roles, I’m sure. They both manage to get a lot into their parts, conveying beyond what’s on the page. We see Hartnell’s rise and fall, and what it costs him. We see Verity coming into her own. Were they given more time, or if this were made into a miniseries rather than confined to two hours, these actors could have absolutely risen to an award-bait level.

They are joined by Sacha Dhawan (Outsourced, Chuggington) as director Waris Hussein, another part that feels like it didn’t get is due. While playing a smaller role in the history, and thus confined to only a portion of the movie, Dhawan makes an impact. Sadly, he is not developed much beyond filling a vital, but small, position.

Other than those three, most of the rest of the cast are merely on the sidelines, with only a couple that sort of stand out a bit. Brian Cox’s (Bob Servant Independent, Deadwood) Sydney Newman is overblown and cartoonish, in a good way, fitting for someone of his temperament in his position. Claudia Grant seems to capture Carole Ann Ford perfectly. Lesley Manville, Jeff Rawle, Jemma Powell, and Jamie Glover all play parts that should matter, but are largely forgettable, likely more because of a lack of focus from the script than the performers themselves.

Luckily, this release is flush with extras. The very first Doctor Who serial, “An Unearthly Child,” is included in its entirety (with its own bonus features) so fans can compare the look of An Adventure in Space and Time to the actual episodes. There’s a “Making Of” narrated by Carole Ann Ford herself, as well as a featurette on William Hartnell, delete scenes, and reconstructions. Best of all (in my mind) is a comedy sketch about the creation of Doctor Who starring producer Mark Gatiss and David Walliams. These help make the set feel worth it, and as I said, the film itself isn’t bad, if you can get past the squandered potential.

An Adventure in Space and Time is available now on Blu-ray and DVD.

FLEMING: THE Miniseries THAT WOULD BE Interesting

Article originally written for Seat42F.com

FLEMING: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE BOND, a miniseries from BBC America (insert grumbling about lack of actual British programming on the network), begins this week. It tells the story of Ian Fleming (Dominic Cooper, Captain America), an aimless playboy whose talents are being squandered. Longing for adventure, he jumps at the chance to help the British military during World War II. And somewhere along the way, he’ll also be falling in love and writing novels starring the famous superspy, James Bond.

 

The first part of the mini opens with Ian on his honeymoon with wife Ann (Lara Pulver, Sherlock’s Irene Adler) in 1952. When not motor-boating about (literally and, well, you know…), he is finishing up the book Casino Royale. I guess this gives us a glimpse of where he’s heading, but I am baffled by recent programs’ insistence to start at the end. Why not let the story play out in a natural progression? In some cases, perhaps it benefits the tale being told, but in the example of FLEMING, it adds nothing to the narrative, and I really wish it hadn’t been done.

Once that bit is out of the way, we’re back to the late 1930s. The Nazis are rising, and while Ian has no love for them, he also isn’t overly concerned, spending his days bedding women and illegally obtaining first edition tomes for his collection, including Hitler’s own work. This is where we see who Ian Fleming is, and his development begins.

Fleming is a familiar enough type. He’s rich and free-wheeling, with little regard for others, even those he’s intimate with, which is currently Muriel (Annabelle Wallis, The Tudors), a relationship of convenience for him, not love. He doesn’t even try to live up to the sterling reputation of his brother, Peter (Rupert Evans, The Village), much to the disapproval of his mother, Evelyn (Lesley Manville, Cranford). And he certainly doesn’t take his job as a stock broker seriously, losing his only client without losing a bit of sleep. In fact, sleep and other bed-based activities are the cause of his failure.

This is a hard place for a drama to start. The above paragraph does not describe a likeable character, and while some series may set out to paint a complex picture of someone who is only rough on the surface, no compassionate side of Ian is visible throughout the initial hour. He’s intelligent and charming, but that’s not enough to earn him viewer sympathy, especially when so much of his attitude is insincere, an act to win over those such as his colleague, Second Officer Monday (Anna Chancellor, The Hour).

Even when Fleming does good, he’s doing bad. He gets information from Nazi U-boat captains, but goes about it entirely the wrong way, angering his superiors and barely escaping punishment himself. Throughout it all, he doesn’t show a hint of remorse or second guessing, which is a recipe for disaster in real life. Unless he really is just that lucky.

 

Cooper does a fine enough job as the cad, but those looking for the subtleties in his performance, hoping to access the inner psyche, will be disappointed. Like the tone of the show itself, he’s flashy and of less substance than one expects. I feel like most actors would play this role the same, but there are some out there that could bring a magnetic essence to the part that would save it. Not knowing much about the real Fleming, though, this may be exactly the portrayal he deserves.

FLEMING: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE BOND is useful because it paints us a portrait of the author behind the famous series, something many of us know little or nothing about. It helps fill in why he wrote what he wrote, Bond being, as Ann says in the beginning and Ian denies, Fleming’s fantasy laid bare. Ian Fleming wants to be the smooth hero. He does make it a little bit down that path in the first hour, but future parts will need to be viewed before we see if he ever gets very close to the dream.

The pacing does drag in parts, and the structure seems loose, as is often the case with biopics, being resigned to get through several events whether they serve the purpose of the miniseries or not. There’s clearly an attempt at a cohesive arc, with Ann appearing frequently in the past timeframe, but I don’t get the sense that FLEMING is truly a love story. This means it flounders a bit, not quite deciding what it is, and so not quite impressing as it should.

FLEMING: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE BOND airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on BBC America.

An Adventure in Space and Time

Article first published as TV Review: 'An Adventure in Space and Time' on Blogcritics.

As part of Doctor Who‘s 50th anniversary celebration, which was in full swing last week, BBC America aired a made-for-TV movie called An Adventure in Space and Time. This two-hour film takes us back to the early days at the BBC, when Doctor Who was first being made, and gives us a piece of that story, with a focus on the show’s first titular star, William Hartnell (David Bradley, Harry Potter, Broadchurch), and producer Verity Lambert (Jessica Raine, Call the Midwife).

An Adventure in Space and Time is an important tale. Not only does it reveal the origins of a legendary series which is one of the longest-running shows ever, but it also represents a bold, brave era for the network. It was the BBC’s first real attempt at science fiction. Lambert was the youngest producer there, and the only female producer at the time. Because of this, it deserves better.

I won’t say I didn’t enjoy An Adventure in Space and Time. It was actually pretty good. I thought the acting was terrific, and I was excited to learn new things about this show and era. It was well-paced and the production looked good.

But it felt like a TV movie, rather than an epic film. Much of the story was told in small vignettes, stand-alone occurrences, rather than a cohesive tale. Either Verity or Hartnell could rate their own full movie, but instead, each part is cut down so that there’s room for them both here. I felt like both were under served in this way, without much exploration as to what Verity herself did to help the show along. Hartnell’s plot is bit more complete, with a clear beginning, middle, and end, but still, I would have liked a few more details, including a slower descent at the end, and the cheesiness of starting at the end then flashing back should not have been allowed.

Bradley and Raine could pull off more complex versions of the roles, I’m sure. They both manage to get a lot into their parts, conveying beyond what’s on the page. We see Hartnell’s rise and fall, and what it costs him. We see Verity coming into her own. Were they given more time, or if this were made into a miniseries, rather than confined to two hours, these actors could have absolutely risen to an award-bait level.

They are joined by Sacha Dhawan (Outsourced, Chuggington) as director Waris Hussein. Waris is another part that feels like it didn’t get is due. While playing a smaller role in the history, and thus confined to only a portion of the movie, Dhawan makes an impact. Sadly, he is not developed much beyond filling a vital, but small, position.

Other than those three, most of the rest of the cast are merely on the sidelines, with only a couple that sort of stand out a bit. Brian Cox’s (Bob Servant Independent, Deadwood) Sydney Newman is overblown and cartoonish, in a good way, fitting for someone of his temperament in his position. Claudia Grant seems to capture Carole Ann Ford perfectly. Lesley Manville, Jeff Rawle, Jemma Powell, and Jamie Glover all play parts that should matter, but are largely forgettable, likely more because of a lack of focus from the script than the performers themselves.

I do think An Adventure in Space and Time is worth watching; as I said, I enjoyed it. I just mourn for the potential that hasn’t been reached, especially when there is never a more opportune time for a project such as this.