Maleficent 3D: Mistress of Evil

Maleficent is defined by her refusal to fit into the human world, and the film itself has trouble knowing what to do with her: for a supposed protagonist, she spends a remarkable amount of time offscreen. In turn, Jolie seems utterly trapped by the narrow conception of the role, which requires her to speak in a clipped British accent and keep emotional display to a minimum.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is a pile of fun, very well assembled. At different moments, it reminded me of everything from Avatar to Game of Thrones. Like the six year olds sitting next to me, I pretty much loved every minute of it.

As the nemesis to Angelina Jolie's red-lipped siren, Pfeiffer gives us exactly what we want - the same hissing Catwoman attitude she heated up for Mother!

It's hard not to appreciate the sheer derangement of the plot that Ingrith has concocted, which is so cruel and so elaborate... as to make even the original Maleficent's machinations in "Sleeping Beauty" look tame by comparison.

This Maleficent is disappointing, although Jolie certainly sells it hard, as does Fanning, who takes it as seriously as anything else in her career.

A sequel that feels programmed to within an inch of its life.

The true Disney villains in this case are off screen, sabotaging the studio's canon from within.

An uninspired and unnecessary sequel that won't leave you spellbound. There's neither enough Maleficent or genuine magic to make it worth a revisit.

An improvement on the first film, in the end, and an encouraging rallying cry against fear and intolerance, but it's still far too busy and baroque to match its leading lady's elegance.