History Film / Maleficent

*** It's almost as if they had the same writer.

* TheMissusAndTheEx: An "awkward situation" (in Maleficent's own words) like this happens at Aurora's christening when Maleficent (the ex) crashes the event to the confusion and then horror of Queen Leila (the missus). Stefan is scared and tries to chase Maleficent away. As for Maleficent herself, she regards the whole affair with bitter irony, grinning maniacally and then bestowing a curse on the newborn Aurora.

* FateWorseThanDeath: Maleficent is fully capable of ''killing'' Stefan at the christeining and he knows it. Instead she invokes the greatest fear by dooming his child, making it so he can never fully enjoy his daugther's presence and growth, nor any of the royal family adulation. Stefan is unsurprisingly driven mad by the pall of despair. He may be alive but that's all he is.

* MuggleInMageCustody: Maleficenta's servant Diaval has no magical power of his own. The relationship between them is basically SnarkToSnarkCombat, and whenever she gets tired of it, she transforms him into a raven.

* FateWorseThanDeath: Maleficent is fully capable of ''killing'' Stefan at the christeining and he knows it. Instead she invokes the greatest AdultFear by dooming his child, making it so he can never fully enjoy his daugther's presence and growth, nor any of the royal family adulation. Stefan is unsurprisingly driven mad by the pall of despair. He may be alive but that's all he is.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Phillip and Aurora sure do make a cute couple, but they only knew each other for a ''day''. That's not nearly enough of a bond to qualify as ''love'', much less true love strong enough to break the curse. Phillip himself points this out, but gives it a shot anyway. [[spoiler:He's right — his kiss doesn't wake Aurora up. Oh, well. Can't fault the guy for trying.]]

** {{Subverted|Trope}} as the film goes on. Despite the gloomy atmosphere and ramped up action, [[AdaptionalHeroism the film's version of Maleficent]] and how she grows to truly care for Aurora, makes the movie just as heartfelt as the animated film.

* DarkerAndEdgier: [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Compared to the original 1959 animated film.]] The scene where [[spoiler:Maleficent gets her wings cut off]] is very unsettling to say the least (WordOfGod is that it's an allegory for ''rape''), along with her discovering what happened to them when she wakes up. Prior to that, the war scene between King Henry and Maleficent's tree/goblin army is quite ferocious.

* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Justified example. [[spoiler:Stefan's knights capture Maleficent, but instead of killing her, only try to incapicitate her with blunt weapons and ColdIron. Considering how elaborate their trap for her was, it seems the intention was only to weaken her, thus allowing Stefan to strike the killing blow. Notably, when Maleficent gets her wings back, Stefan orders them to kill her with whatever they have.]]

* RedHerring: The fairies and Diaval believe that [[spoiler:Prince Philip's LoveAtFirstSight for Aurora will break her curse. It doesn't, because a love that deep cannot exist between two people after just one meeting, and in the film it is rather forced by the The Three Good Fairies, leaving little room for any "true love". This works because it did break her curse in the original film]].

* TheWallsAreClosingIn: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] during the climax: [[spoiler:While some of Stefan's knights work on subduing Diaval, a few more arrive with riot shields made of iron, and promptly make a formation around Maleficent, boxing her in and limiting her mobility. Then one of them steps aside, allowing Stefan — now equipped with a suit of [[TinTyrant iron armor]] and [[WhipItGood iron chain flails]] — to step in and face off against Maleficent.]]

* AdaptationalAlternateEnding: [[spoiler:Maleficent survives and King Stefan (who is now the film's BigBad) is killed, and Maleficent, not the Prince, is the one who awakens Aurora from her curse.]]

** Maleficents Goons are not present in the film at all. They are replaced by plants that she can control.

---> '''Aurora:''' (teary-eyed, while confronting Maleficent) ''"When were you going to tell me I'm cursed?"''

-->Narrator: Thus did the young thief, who had hoped to steal a jewel, steal something far more precious.

---> '''Maleficent:''' "It's ''over.''"

** A confused girl on the cusp of adulthood, wandering aimlessly, stuck between [[FirstKiss kissing a boy]] and [[ADateWithRosiePalms doing something with her finger]].