Conversations w/Mommy

[amarie24]

-Me, after watching a few clips of Maleficient, with Angelina Jolie-: Hey, Mommy...?

Mommy: Hmm?

Me: If you put a Sleeping Beauty curse on me and eventually regretted it, would you give me True Love's Kiss to wake me up from it?

Mommy: ...God, no. I'd leave you sleeping right there so I can finally have some peace and quiet.

Me: Mama. Are you quite serious?

Mommy: I'll wake you up when I'm ready.



Ya'll. -hangs head-

Comments

[indigodragon]

Which movie do you mean? The one that's already been out or... is there a part two that I'm not aware of coming out again? O.e

//warning: spoilers ahead! but also contains some necessary trigger warnings about the film so read at your own discretion//

I liked parts of the Maleficent movie (the one that's already out) but my favorite Sleeping Beauty was ironically the Disney one. The three fairy women were EXTREMELY active, actually seemed like they COULD have raised Aurora to adulthood even if they were a bit ditzy at times, and there was a bit of a prior connection with the prince and Aurora, with a funny exchange between the two kings. I just wish that the ACTUAL MOTHER had been fleshed out at all, goddamnit. In EITHER movie. DAMN IT.

The things that appeal the Maleficent movie to me is Diavol (he's so cute and smexy and I feel sorry for how he's treated by her :< ), the dragon shapechanging, the wings flying scene, the stunning background visuals, giving Maleficent more of an engaging history for her actions, making her more an anti-hero than a true villain, and showing that true love can be between a sort of parent and child [mother and daughter] even if they're not related at all by blood - which is adoption-positive for sure!

I just hate how they TRASHED the fairies' characterization and believability, made the humans all suck, killed the first guy off as a black man (of fucking course), did wing torture (I can't stand wings being cut off x.o), and there was a lot of... lacking worldbuilding and things that actually... made sense???... in the running of things.

And of course the MYSTERIOUS MISSING MOTHER whom we NEVER hear of, NEVER hear their name, NEVER know, and fucking hell barely ever SEE.

So aside from Maleficent and Aurora in the movie getting some relationship time, it is HELL on every other woman character.

At least in the old Disney one, even if Aurora wasn't as ... outgoing as modern heroines tend to be, the three fairies more than made it up for that and I see them as the true protagonists of the film. And there was a lot more talking by women in that one in comparison (which is fucking sad.) And the magic effects were better in traditional animation, not live-action (as they ALWAYS ARE. *LE SIGH and shakes head*) Yes the Disney one had NOBODY BUT WHITE PEOPLE, yet in the newest one, any inclusion of POC is... weak. Barely there in the background. Or they're just killed off. You almost wonder why they made so little effort towards diversity.

//end spoilers//

So yeah I'm mixed on that one. -x-

[amarie24]

Oh, I meant the one already out-the first part. I had no idea that there was a Part 2 coming! :O

And yeah, from what I've seen from jumping around on random YouTube clips? You are so totally right on every single point.

I get...the temptation to make the three fairies kinda ditzy and flighty (no pun intended) in order to make Aurora and us, the audience, closer to Maleficient. But...goodness gracious. They made them outright incompetent and it was just like...have ya'll any respect? Any decency? This is Flora, Fauna, & Merryweather we're talking about here!!! What the hell?!

Aurora's biological mama wasn't fleshed out, either? Blegh, not surprised.

Yeah, apparently the guy that played Diavol is Sam Riley, and he played a version of Mr. Darcy? Ehhh, he's not my cup of tea (my Mr. Darcy is Matthew Macfayden, I'm afraid), but it's nice to see a connection!

And adoption positivity for the WIN!

...But wait a minute. So not only was there just A Token Black Guy, but they also killed him off, first? Ugh. And yeah, I skipped over the clip where shitty asshole Stefan cut her wings off...what the fuck, people.

So yeah, overall, you're right & I absolutely agree with you: at best, it's a mixed bag that may very well be not what everyone enjoys. : /

[indigodragon]

Oh no, there isn't a part two coming out that I'm aware of. xD Just I was confused at first whether you were talking about the one already out, or if there was a hypothetical second one I hadn't heard of coming out. xD If that makes sense now? LOL!

Yeah. :/ I hate that they COMPLETELY destroyed the characters of the three good fairies. I mean I can no doubt easily think of ways to play with the fairy tale and make Maleficent more redeeming, as well as keeping the three good fairies proactive and in their badass womanly glory. :3 As well as NOT getting into any of the rape-symbolism of the asshole Stefan cutting off her wings (*GROWLS and glaring >___>*) or killing off token black people, or trashing every potential sense of how this freaking world functions at all in an internally consistent manner. Or even having the prince be barely used and just tossed away (literally actually e.o), and keep the interactions he and Aurora had in the Disney film and deepen that more. (Whoever says that their interactions SHOULD lead to "true love" or any sort of romance? Why not a good buddy-buddy friendship with nothing sexual or romantic there?) AND DEFINITELY GIVE AURORA'S MOTHER A GODDAMN NAME AND PERSONALITY AND HISTORY FOR ONCE IN OUR LVIES!!!! Like... C'MON people!!! WTH?!?!

Oh and rectify that weird-ass thing I noticed that every goddamn fairy tale that had to "lose or otherwise give up" their "only child" never... ever had another child? In a time when children living to adulthood was rather... in question? In a time when people were specifically ENCOURAGED to have as many potential heirs as possible? Both royalty AND peasantry? ...Um........ *crickets chirp* Nothing ringing any bells? Like... that is alarming and glaring to me every time I see this. Like WTH?! Are you BEGGING for your dynasty to be cut short and the land to rip asunder into a civil war with a lack of a clear heir to inherit???? It's just not good politics people!!

I do love the adoption positivity, so I could keep that and play with the relationship dynamics of others and make it as respectful, deep, complex, and more shades of grey than anything staunchly black and white. I love the inclusion of Diavol, but I wish Maleficent had the ability to turn HERSELF into a dragon at the end, instead of doing it to Diavol. When was the last time you saw a meant-to-be GOOD person turning into a DRAGON or anything scaly in the pursuit of justice and the Right Thing? Never!!!

And I could make Diavol's and Maleficent's relationship less abusive and problematic to boot.

... Fuck I could even include people of color and LGBT+ in the main cast itself just to spite people. =.= Whoever said they HAVE to ALWAYS be cisgender straight white people all the godfucking time? =.= And yes I'd have the main fucking heroes and heroine be POC and queer as much as I hella fucking can. =.= Just watch me.~

...Fuck now this is getting my creative juices going. XD I wanna attempt a nice little um... outline of what such a movie/story like this could look like. :3 ~ *squee*

Anyways I didn't know the guy who played Diavol in this movie was Sam Riley and that he played Mr. Darcy in one of the variations. So I came in to seeing him with no prior connection lol. I do love his cute sass and snark and wit and how he was devoted to her at the very end out of a true genuine (to me at least) devotion and how she seemed to have warmed up to him in return thankfully! *ships a HEALTHY, NON-ABUSIVE, consensual AU version of Diavol and Maleficent relationship now*

If I make anything of my planning and plotting here, I'll be SURE to let you know first off, as soon as I can. XD <3 *huggles*

[amarie24]

Oh, no worries about the confusion, friend! It's all cleared up, now!

And yeah, it's really, really amazing when shitty media gives us some wonderful ideas! Kinda like a fic bug that won't stop biting us, and so we'll make something even better! So if you do many anything out of your planning & plotting, I can't wait to hear about it! -huggles back- :D