Movie villains usually exist in the dark, plotting their sinister moves to make life as miserable as possible for the true-blue heroes they’re assigned to bedevil. These days, however, some films are shifting the spotlight from their heroic protagonists to the vile and dastardly villains whose very existence is focused on nothing but total gloom and doom!
Topping the current list is the malicious and malevolent title character in “Maleficent,” who completely upstages sweet Sleeping Beauty in her signature fairy tale of yore.
In the original story, the evil witch’s participation was limited to vilely and vengefully intoning the curse that would make life a long, comatose snooze for poor Princess Aurora. In “Maleficent,” however, it’s the princess who is made to play second fiddle to her vicious tormentor!
JOLIE. Gives villainness her time to shine.
More than that, Maleficent’s back story is given full play in the new film, making viewers realize that she wasn’t born baaaad, she just turned nasty after her heart was broken by a faithless lover.
In the updated scenario, her deceitful tormentor literally clips her powerful wings in order to become king—so it’s his daughter who becomes the innocent object of Maleficent’s seething wrath and curse. To do full justice to the revisionist scenario’s many possibilities, no less than top actress Angelina Jolie is cast in the title role, and the acclaimed actress embraces, not just the “delicious” opportunity to play it devilishly evil, but also the surprising twist that has her illustrating how even total hate can be salved and vanquished by the even more seminal impulse and instinct to forgive and love.
That’s a dauntingly difficult character arc for Jolie to describe, but her efforts aren’t just successful, they’re triumphant!
In going from good to bad and back again, she serves notice that movies focused on villains instead of heroes may become trendy, making possible future “prismatic” dramas about heretofore totally hated figures—like Hitler, and even Lucifer himself!
To be sure, “Maleficent” isn’t the first film to give villains their time to shine, or at least to be “understood.” Past triumphant evil characterizations are led by Anthony Hopkins’ terrifying portrayal of the evil genius, madman and “cannibal-gourmet,” Hannibal Lecter, in “The Silence of the Lambs.”
Another vile character who roundly upstaged her whimpering victim was the predatory virago portrayed by Glenn Close in “Fatal Attraction.” And John Malkovich in “Dangerous Liaisons,” Robert De Niro in “Cape Fear,” Jack Nicholson as the Joker in “Batman” and Kathy Bates in “Misery” also come chillingly to mind!