About twenty minutes into Maleficent, I realized I made a mistake. Sometimes the warning signs critics fire can be hyperbolic and a bit ridiculous, but other times they are right on, as is the case with this abomination. Angelina Jolie does her best here (which isn’t great, don’t ask me why people think she’s such a great actress) but when you have a classic baddie who has been completely neutered of her evilness, you aren’t left with much in terms of story. The whole production looks great though, but that should be no surprise as director Robert Stromberg is a former production designer, and the lack of a skilled director is apparent throughout. With all this classic imagery, this is the most you could get out of it?