Fictional Review: Maleficent 3 – “Thorns of Eternity”

Envision Disney dusting off the Moors for Maleficent 3: Thorns of Eternity, premiering at D23 Expo 2027 before a Halloween 2028 bow. Directed by a post-Mufasa Barry Jenkins (infusing ethereal poetry into the CGI splendor), it’s a $200 million spellbinder: visually intoxicating, thematically thorny, and unapologetically Angelina. Not quite the original’s subversive sparkle, but a mature glow-up that binds the trilogy with bittersweet briars. Think Cruella meets The Green Knight—gothic glamour for grown-up dreamers. It’ll enchant the family crowd while pricking the hearts of those who’ve outgrown pixie dust.

The Setup: From Curse to Crown

Years after the Ulstead-Moors pact, Maleficent (Angelina Jolie, horns sharper, gaze wearier) guards a fragile peace as Aurora (Elle Fanning, now a thorn-crowned queen) navigates royal thorns—literally. A “Eternal Bloom” prophecy awakens ancient Fey rivals: the Shadow Weavers, silk-spinning sorceresses who weave nightmares from forgotten curses (led by a venomous Viola Davis, all silken menace and maternal malice). When a human alchemist (newcomer Jacob Tremblay, grown into a sly, spell-slinging teen) unearths a thorn that could unravel all magic, alliances fracture. Maleficent must ally with exiled beasts and her own fractured past—echoes of her lost kin—to prevent an eternal winter where dreams turn to dust.

The vibe? Lush, labyrinthine forests (shot in New Zealand’s misty wilds) clash with crystalline Fey citadels, all aglow in Practical Magic-level VFX. Diaval (Sam Riley) shape-shifts with wry wit, while Knotgrass, Flittle, and Thistlewit (the fairy trio, recast with Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, and Lesley Manville) bumble through bigger stakes. It’s a quest laced with betrayals, broomstick chases, and one ravenously romantic Maleficent-Aurora bond that blooms into found-family fire.

What Casts the Spell

• Visual Enchantment That Stings: Jenkins’ lens turns the Moors into a living tapestry—thorns pulse like veins, shadows slither like smoke. The Weavers’ silk-storm battle? A whirlwind of web and wing that’s pure IMAX poetry, rivaling Avatar‘s bioluminescence but with Jolie’s balletic fury at its core. Costumes (by Sandy Powell) are couture curses: Maleficent’s cape now a living labyrinth of ebony feathers.
• Performances That Pierce: Jolie’s Maleficent evolves from vengeful villainess to vulnerable visionary—her whisper-roars in a rain-lashed ritual scene? Chills. Fanning’s Aurora sheds princess petals for queenly grit, while Davis devours as the Weaver matriarch, her “magic is a mother’s lie” soliloquy a gut-twist of generational grief. Tremblay’s alchemist adds youthful spark, quipping through the gloom like a pint-sized Loki.
• Themes That Take Root: It digs deeper into legacy’s lash—fairy vs. human, nurture vs. nature, the cost of “happily ever after.” In 2028’s eco-anxious air, the Weavers’ web of exploitation mirrors real-world tangles, all wrapped in inclusive Fey lore (diverse creatures, non-binary sprites) that feels woven, not woke-forced.

The Curses That Linger (Slightly)

• Pacing Hex: The mid-act courtly scheming tangles like overgrowth, slowing the sorcery before the storm hits. It’s no Sleeping Beauty snooze, but trims could’ve sharpened the thorns.
• Familiar Brew: Some tropes (prophecy MacGuffin, last-reel redemption) brew from the same cauldron—charming for trilogy fans, eye-roll fodder for cynics.
• The Fade-Out: It crowns the saga satisfyingly, but that post-credits Fey whisper teases spin-offs nobody clamored for. Bittersweet? Yes. Sequel-bait? A touch too much.

Verdict: A Curse Worth Embracing

If Maleficent ever sprouts a third horn, this imagined iteration would be the trilogy’s crowning glory: fierce, fractured, and fiercely magical. It’s a reminder that true power isn’t in the curse, but in choosing mercy amid the thorns. Stream it in your dream Disney+ queue with herbal tea (or hemlock), then debate: Michelle Yeoh as a Weaver? Or let the series slumber? What’s your wicked wishlist for the next fairy-tale flip?