Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

There's a lot of money on the screen, Angelina Jolie is once again really good in the film, the musical score is great, and some of the action sequences are cool. But the story this time around is even less investing than last time.

It just did not know what it wanted to be.

"Mistress of Evil" has its heart in the right place, but good intentions can't overcome a nagging blockbuster familiarity.

There's no need for this [sequel]... It's almost not campy enough.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil didn't lean on its greatest strength, instead almost downplaying that mischievous Jolie performance by giving her less to do, and then overblowing everything else.

We get a classic buildup establishing heroes and villains; gorgeous, screen-popping visuals featuring beautiful and mysterious worlds; a bounty of colorful and magical creatures, and a lengthy, CGI-laden, climactic battle sequence...

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil was a huge surprise for me, I found it vastly more enjoyable than the first film.

While Maleficent: Mistress of Evil suffers from treading down some fairly well worn paths it does it with exceptional skill.

Much like the original, there's very little charm and excitement to be found in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. While Jolie looks impressive in her full Maleficent costume, there is little reason to watch the film outside of that.

Despite a lackluster third act, Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil still works as a whole, largely thanks to Jolie and Pfeiffer’s all-in performances. It may not be much more memorable than the first entry in this franchise, but it’s still enjoyable enough.