Maleficent: Romancing the devil (what even???)

[mockingbird]

So, my AC is out, we're in the middle of a thunderstorm and my apartment complex doesn't have a tornado shelter (and I'm on the second floor) - perfect excuse to go see Maleficent again! It's my new favorite movie. I was searching for movie times and this came up as the first link under Google news... :shock:

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la ... story.html

Once a force of pure evil, the demonic Maleficent (played by Angelina Jolie) has morphed into a sympathetic Earth goddess akin to Demeter, cursing yet protecting her Persephone-like surrogate daughter, the sleeping beauty Aurora.

In endowing the horned Maleficent with motherly love, veteran Disney writer Linda Woolverton takes a stance similar to that of Scandinavian/European black-metal bands such as Immortal, Dimmu Borgir and Behemoth: They embrace darkness in order to align themselves against those who claim to represent the “Light†— the legions who invoked Christ while destroying primeval cultures and slaughtering the metal folk’s tribal forebears.

Predictably, some Christians are taking umbrage. A review of “Maleficent†in Christianity Today faulted the film for rejecting the notion of original sin in favor of the idea that “evil must have a psychological, sociological or biological cause.â€

When conservatives talk about the war on Christmas and Christianity, in one sense they’re right: Jesus has lost some reputational ground. But the bad PR isn’t because media Jews want to slaughter the Lamb; it’s because Christianity has grown guilty by association with tea party extremists, Quran-burning ministers and child-molesting priests.

The rebranding of Maleficent is perhaps another sign that Americans have grown uncomfortable with their traditional role as idealistic world-savers; after Vietnam, Chile, El Salvador, Iraq and Afghanistan, only the willfully ignorant can ignore the gore on our swords. It’s easier to identify with a Maleficent than a messiah.

I cannot. I THINK this is satire... but the quotes are real. :?

Here's the Christianity Today review: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/201 ... paging=off

My favorite part of this is when the author tries to rationalize how Wicked (the book version) and Maleficent are DIFFERENT (he likes Wicked) because in Wicked, Elphaba still commits evil deeds, and we're told we are getting "the other side of the story", not "the true story". Ummm... ok. In Maleficent, she still curses Sleeping Beauty - she's pretty evil for a lot of the movie! I think his issue is the semantics about the marketing taglines! :doh: Oh and he had to throw in this dig about Frozen: "another Disney blockbuster (Frozen) that suggests all men are cads and true love only exists in sisterhood". Err... no, that's not the message of that movie. But I guess fundies would argue pretty strongly FOR marrying someone you just met since that's basically what courtship is...

I do agree with him about not liking how the prince still kissed Sleeping Beauty without her consent - especially when another scene in the movie is supposed to be a metaphor for rape. I guess they were just trying to stick with the original storyline, but I thought that was a bad call.

Fundies have to find something wrong with everything, right?! So it's about time articles about this movie popped up...

ETA: Here's another Christian review - the review itself is pretty tame, but the comments are interesting... "This is the final problem; all the heroes are women, and all the villains are men. There are no exceptions (unless you count the crow). It is a trend in revisionist fairy tales that is an attack upon family and the idea that marriage between a man and woman is the “happily ever after†which God intended. It is a bad message for young children." This reviewer also claimed the movie supported "man-hating feminism". http://christiananswers.net/spotlight/m ... t2014.html

[bumblebee]

Sigh, there have been what two? recent Disney movies that have the "twists" that true love can be between (god)mother and daughter and sisters as opposed to men they've known for a few minutes out of hundreds of movies they've made over the last 70 years, that's hardly "man hating feminism." Hey Christian commenters sometimes those types of love have been considered more "holy" and "pure" than "erotic love". Besides even if the heroes/guys had less to do than usual not oll of them were cads, and it's not like Disney doesn't have a few famous male villains. I personally think all types are good and Disney will produce a lot more movies where they hero saves the heroine = true love blah blah blah.

[crawfishgirl]

I took my kids to see this movie last week. On the way home, I asked them what the moral of the story was - I then told them that the moral (to me) was to not hold a grudge. Cutting off her wings was atrocious, and she was rightfully enraged, but that holding that grudge and hatred for many years hurt her and robbed her (and those around her) of a better life during that timeframe. (this is something that I struggle with in my life - though without the wing part ;) ). So to me, I think that the story has 'religious' undertones of forgiveness. I guess it's all in our perception. Some of these fundies are more worried about form over substance - gender roles instead of the emotions in our lives - such a shame.

[MamaJunebug]

I took my kids to see this movie last week. On the way home, I asked them what the moral of the story was - I then told them that the moral (to me) was to not hold a grudge. Cutting off her wings was atrocious, and she was rightfully enraged, but that holding that grudge and hatred for many years hurt her and robbed her (and those around her) of a better life during that timeframe. (this is something that I struggle with in my life - though without the wing part ;) ). So to me, I think that the story has 'religious' undertones of forgiveness. I guess it's all in our perception. Some of these fundies are more worried about form over substance - gender roles instead of the emotions in our lives - such a shame.

Everything you said. I've heard some theologians consicientiously try to point out to Christian viewers where they may be accepting ideas that are outside the doctrines of their religion. In the unfortunate Pocahontas, e.g., the idea of an animistic religion was proposed and while it was fine for entertainment, believers needed to be careful that they didn't start to admit part of an opposing religion into their own.

But most of this stuff -- it's just an excuse for more gum-flapping,IMNSHO. "Look at me, I'm educated, I'm an authority, I'm gonna tell you what you're thinking and why it's bad."

I've had it with that noise, as BDJB would've said.

ETA: And certainly as has been pointed out before, where the overall theme of the movie is not a matter of woman swooning for man, it's not good, according to the misogynistic "leaders." Blegh.

[PennySycamore]

I went with my daughter and 5 year-old granddaughter to see Maleficent on opening day. I loved how true love's kiss was not from the guy, but from Maleficent. Maleficent did try to undo the the curse she'd put on Aurora. To me, it's all about repentance and redemption. What could be more Christian than that?

Btw, we went to see Maleficent at the drive-in theatre in Shelby, NC. It was a blast!

[nolongerIFBx]

I haven't gotten to see it yet, but I want to!

The truth is that you can read a lot of things into a movie that the writer/director may have never even thought of.

[ADoyle90815]

I haven't seen this yet, but I plan to. One thing is that I do wonder if that crazy Mormon blogger is going to find the "gay agenda" in this movie as she did with Frozen.

[Nobodysdoormat]

8yo daughter and I saw it opening day and again since. Such a great movie! Female empowerment, relationships (not just romantic), loss and emotional healing. Yep, the devil's work, to be sure!

[mockingbird]

I am honored that Maleficent herself liked my post :D

I haven't seen this yet, but I plan to. One thing is that I do wonder if that crazy Mormon blogger is going to find the "gay agenda" in this movie as she did with Frozen.

I read this queer theory analysis of the trailer/rumors about the movie months ago and it was actually what made me interested in seeing the movie. I definitely need to send it around to the fundies if I want to have the full experience. I'll see if I can find it again.

I agree the lessons about redemption and holding a grudge are so positive, and I would say that fits within my idea of Christianity... :?

ETA: That was easier than I thought: http://befurbelowed.tumblr.com/post/748 ... maleficent

[Ave Maria]

My husband and I saw the movie and liked the vast majority of it -- but I was a bit sad to see Prince Phillip do basically nothing. He was always the most active of all the original Disney princes -- my husband always liked his fight through the maze of thorns, etc. Now he's just kind of THERE and it isn't even clear if he ends up with Aurora.

I would have been fine with the idea that Aurora and Phillip didn't have true love yet from the one meeting, but I would have still liked to see them wind up together and see him with more of a role, rather than being an unconscious prop (since I did always like his character).

ETA: I've often felt like some of the other princes are just props -- one more element of the happily ever after but not really fully fleshed out characters. But Phillip is really the hero of the original story.