Films based on fairy tales or classic tales have been hit and miss of late. But as the third-highest grossing film of 2014, moviegoers made their opinion of Disney’s Maleficent known, as it took in just shy of $757 million, only beaten by the latest Transformers installment and our favourite dance-off champions, Guardians of the Galaxy. We know our favourite ginger ninja enjoyed the film (and you can read Nick’s review over here) and obviously many, many of your agreed. While I’ve never been the biggest Angelina fan myself, I found her performance magnetic and easily (and perhaps surprisingly) the film’s biggest drawing card. And I was sure it was going to be Sharlto Copley’s bizarre Scottish-American-Afrikaans accent.
With the movie’s success, comes a Blu-Ray loaded with behind-the-scenes looks into the making of the film and specifically in the creation of the magical world of Maleficent, which really just pops off the screen with the film’s crisp high-definition visuals. In fact, this is one of the better transfers out there, with the film colourful world never looking more vibrant and alive.
If you enjoyed the classic tale, twisted to be told from the perspective of its supposed “antagonist”, then you would more than likely also enjoy a trip through director Robert Stromberg and the rest of the creators’ minds to see how they realized this vision.
Here are the bonus contents of the Blu-Ray disc:
- Aurora: Becoming A Beauty
Elle Fanning talks about her role as Aurora, and what drew her to the character.
- From Fairy Tale to Feature Film
We explore how the classic fairy tale was re-imagined for a new generation.
- Building and Epic Battle
The creation of the epic battle between Maleficent and King Henry’s forces.
- Classic Couture
A look into the costume and jewellery that transformed Angelina Jolie into Maleficent.
- Maleficent Revealed
A look into the amazing special effects that brought the film to life.
- Deleted Scenes
Pretty self explanatory, and nothing too significant.
Here are the film’s tech specs, for those of you who care about the numbers:
- Resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
- DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (English)
- Dolby Digital 5.1 (French)
- Dolby Digital 5.1 (Spanish)
This is definitely one of the better fairy tale adaptations out there (I’m looking at you, Snow White & The Huntsman) and if you want to own it, there is no better format to enjoy it’s striking visuals than in Blu-Ray. Coupled with numerous peeks behind the creative curtain, this will definitely be a good addition to a fan’s collection.
Last Updated: December 17, 2014