Maleficent is a re-imagining of Walt Disney's 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty, which is itself based on the classic fairy tale of the same name. Told from the perspective of the titular villain, the film attempts to flesh out her character and provide an explanation (if not justification) for her actions.
For the most part, it does this very well. However, it feels limited by having to retell the Sleeping Beauty story. For example, the whole premise of a curse involving the pricking of the princess's finger on a spindle comes across as incredibly far-fetched. There are far more suitable means of enacting revenge than whipping up such an outlandish curse.
A related issue comes with the whole sleeping element of the story itself. Considering all the hoo-ha about the curse, it's somewhat ridiculous that the princess is seemingly woken from her slumber mere hours after she started her nap. And yet she earns herself the moniker 'Sleeping Beauty'? She probably spent less time sleeping than the average person does at night!
There is also the problem of the story's apparent 'twist'. I say "apparent" because whilst it's set up like a twist, it can easily be deduced simply from how the story is progressing.
Although I liked the visual aesthetics of the film, the CGI fairies are simply too 'cartoonish' for their own good. For a film that utilises live action actors to create a sense of believability, the fairies look like something out of Monsters, Inc., and that breaks immersion.
Despite these issues, Maleficent somehow manages to be a very enjoyable film as a whole.
