Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil continues the story of the dark fairy Maleficent and Aurora, the princess she once cursed and later came to love as a daughter. Several years on, Aurora rules the moors and is set to marry Prince Phillip, a union meant to bring humans and magical creatures together. The prospect of the wedding draws Maleficent into conflict with Phillip's mother, Queen Ingrith, and long-standing distrust between the two peoples resurfaces. As dark new forces gather, the bond between Maleficent and Aurora is tested, and both must decide where their loyalty lies.

The film is a sequel to 2014's Maleficent and was directed by Joachim Rønning, whose earlier features include Kon-Tiki and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Linda Woolverton, Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue wrote the screenplay, and Angelina Jolie produced as well as reprising the title role. Elle Fanning returns as Aurora, with Harris Dickinson as Phillip, Michelle Pfeiffer as Queen Ingrith, Sam Riley as Diaval and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Conall. The production involved a substantial cast and crew, and its reported budget of 185 million US dollars places it among the larger fantasy productions of its year. It went on to take about 492 million dollars worldwide.

Audience responses were moderate: on IMDb it holds 6.6/10 from roughly 131,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 7.3/10 from far fewer ratings. A film critics' score of 5.2/10 from 259 reviews is noticeably lower than either audience figure. The film runs 119 minutes and blends action, adventure, family and fantasy elements.