Film Preview: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)

Page Revisions:

(May 19, 2019) Original
(July 14, 2019) New Trailer (#2) / New Posters (#2-#4)
(October 13, 2019) New Posters (#5-#14)

Release Date:

October 18, 2019

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “The complex relationship of Maleficent and Aurora continues to be explored as they face new threats to the magical land of the Moors.”

Poster Rating: C / B (3) / B+ / C+ (3) / D+ / C+ / B- / C / C+ / C

SEE ALL POSTERS BELOW
Review: (#1) A teaser that doesn’t give much, especially with the excessive amount of black being used, but it will work at its specified purpose.

(#2-#4) It’s a fascinating triptych when put together, though the colors are a bit dull individually.

(#5) Using a darkened skyline and using that as a motif that lends into Maleficent’s wing and then filling that with all of the figures of importance in the film makes for a most visually compelling design. The blank white background can almost be forgiven. (#6-#8) These character posters lack the rich detail one would hope for and expect in such a design. (#9) IMAX just has the worst poster designs. They are bulky and lacking in detail while feeling dull and uninspired. Does the studio commission these or does IMAX? (#10) A fascinating water color with too much absent detail. (#11) There’s a lot of vacant space here, but the design is pleasing and well crafted. (#12) A lot of wasted space here for something that doesn’t equate to a visually daring execution. (#13) Unlike design #5, this one has a lot of wasted space and feels like it’s wasted. There’s no creative energy to draw the eye away from the vacancy even if there are a lot of decent details within the wings. (#14) Sometimes chaotic works as long as there’s a motif to draw the viewer into the details. Here, the motif is segmented and doesn’t flow into itself making the whole look disjointed and messy.

Trailer Rating: B- / B+

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Review: (#1) Everything you could imagine from a Maleficent sequel is here, but nothing quite strikes the viewer as being terribly compelling.

(#2) The abundance of style in this trailer enhances the audience’s expectations of a film worth watching. The narrative still feels a bit meager, but the visuals may make up for that.