Maleficent Movie Review | Safe For Kids? Parents Guide

Should children see Maleficent Movie Review | Safe For Kids?, an honest parents guide and mom review of the Disney live action film. #Maleficent. Disclosure ~ I received a free media preview of Maleficent in exchange for this review. All opinions are 100% my own.

Maleficent Movie Review | Safe For Kids? Parents Guide

Today marks opening day of one of the most highly anticipated movies of Summer 2014. Disney’s Maleficent is here and has everyone curious and critical of how the live-action movie compares to the ever popular classic animated tale. Then there’s the rating. All of the previews, teasers, posters portray this movie as a “dark” story. But we have only a PG rating. So that has every parent wondering….is this movie safe for my kids? In This Maleficent Movie Review | Safe for Kids?, we’re talking about that PG rating. All with no spoilers.

Movie synopsis

“Maleficent” explores the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain from the classic “Sleeping Beauty” and the elements of her betrayal that ultimately turn her pure heart to stone. Driven by revenge and a fierce desire to protect the moors over which she presides, Maleficent cruelly places an irrevocable curse upon the human king’s newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Aurora is caught in the middle of the seething conflict between the forest kingdom she has grown to love and the human kingdom that holds her legacy. Maleficent realizes that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land and is forced to take drastic actions that will change both worlds forever.

I will say right off the bat, I loved this movie. I always have a personal pull for villains with “good” qualities. This story is a great twist on the original tale. Beginning with Maleficent’s childhood, you delve deep into her past and her roots. A love, a loss, a betrayal, a hatred, and a lust for revenge. While the overall concept of this movie is “dark,” I will say there are moments of light that have you misting over, as only Disney can.

Be prepared for some great nods to the old animated film with some amazing lines, reenactments and stretches of the story. It will leave you wondering “what is the REAL story of Sleeping Beauty?” I think this all-star team of actors was cast beautifully. Each character was believable and Angelina Jolie was certainly the star. The most surprising character was King Stephan as you delve deeper into his leading role in this story.

The 3D effects were amazing, especially when you journey through Maleficent’s homeland of the moors. Beautiful scenery, amazing graphics, a mind for the land of fantasy, whimsy and beauty. The detailed creatures were astounding! Don’t miss out on those little glitches of humor, planted ingeniously throughout the movie.

That PG rating

As a mom of a 5 year old, I would definitely NOT bring him to see this. There are multiple scenes of intense violence, killing, and war between the humans and the moors. At times, I was in shock of some of the suspenseful scenes. To compare, I would say the violence could be synonymous to Lord of the Rings. While not overly bloody or gory, the hate in their eyes along with some of the violent maneuvers (throwing of bodies as rag dolls, spearing, charging, punching, etc.) would be very intense for kids under the age of 10 years. The last scenes with the dragon had me on edge. There’s also some disturbing behavior as with King Stephan when his insanity begins to take over.

In the very least, I would recommend parents pre-screen this movie before taking little ones. Determine for yourself if this would be a film that your kids could watch, appreciate and not have nightmares.

Maleficent will have you cheering for one of the BEST Disney villains of all time. As an adult and a HUGE Disney fan, this extension of the Sleeping Beauty story was breathtaking. I immediately wanted to watch Sleeping Beauty after. Disney has thoughtfully taken every aspect of the classic tale into consideration as they weave in this new live-action movie. Filled with wonder, the unusual and the unexpected, I really enjoyed Maleficent. I can’t wait to show it to my son….in a few years.