Weekend Movie Review: 'Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil' And More

Sequels dominate the wide releases coming to theaters near you this weekend. In "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil," Angelina Jolie returns to her titular role of a dark fairy godmother who crosses paths with a nefarious Queen (Michelle Pfeiffer) hell-bent on causing a rift between Maleficent and her goddaughter, Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning).

In the mood for a zombie-comedy? Look no further than "Zombieland: Double Tap" in which Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, Abigail Breslin and Jesse Eisenberg reprise their roles of four zombie slayers who forged a pact to become a makeshift family after a zombie apocalypse.

Here's what to see and what to skip this weekend:

Movies Out This Weekend

“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” — Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning; directed by Joachim Rønning

Angelina Jolie returns to the titular role of a forlorn villainess, a winged fairy with dark horns who became the reigning figure of the Moors Kingdom — an enchanted realm constantly at odds with the human world. Also returning is Elle Fanning as Aurora, the human princess Maleficent cursed to fall asleep for all eternity but ultimately grew to love, and then raised as her own child. After all, it was Maleficent’s love that broke the princess’ slumber curse.

Directed by Joachim Rønning, the sequel picks up several years after the events of the 2014 live-action origin story. Now a teenager, Aurora loves Maleficent unconditionally; likewise, the dark fairy has grown much closer to Aurora— even giving her the title Queen of the Moors.

But when Aurora suddenly breaks the news of her engagement to Prince Philip of the Ulstead Kingdom (Harris Dickinson), Maleficent is gravely disappointed. Steely and firm, she warns her goddaughter that “love doesn’t always end well.” Aurora then implores her godmother to give them a chance to prove her wrong, as the nuptials could unite the feuding worlds of the humans and the fairies.

But little does Aurora know Philip’s mother, Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer), is a devious and deceitful woman who will stop at nothing to paint Maleficent in a negative light— and whose ultimate ulterior motive is to cause a rift between the winged sorceress and her goddaughter. And as if that’s not enough to wreak havoc, Ingrith also wants to murder every fairy in the woods.

It’s only a matter of time before an emotionally charged dinner at the Ulstead Castle erupts into chaos, causing a frisson of tension! Can Maleficent and Aurora prevail together in the end?

See it. Though the sequel is not as dazzling as the first movie, “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” still manages to deliver some solid entertainment. Simply put, this movie is not cursed to make you fall asleep.

Watch the trailer:

“Zombieland: Double Tap” — Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson; directed by Ruben Fleischer

The 2009 zombie-comedy cult classic is back for another round of riotous, wacky and boisterous fun, starring the original cast members — Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, Abigail Breslin and Jesse Eisenberg — as four loners who made a pact to become a makeshift family after a zombie apocalypse.

Well, our gang of four zombie slayers is still together a decade later, having settled into their new life in The White House — yes, you heard it right! But make no mistake, the place is not pristine.

As expected, our ragtag family has some issues to tackle. For starters, while Wichita (Stone) and Columbus (Eisenberg) have paired up as a couple, Wichita is somewhat ambivalent about their relationship. Then Tallahassee (Harrelson), the family’s de facto patriarch, doesn’t really know how to deal with Little Rock’s (Breslin) teen angst. Unsurprisingly, the young woman wants to meet people her own age. But where to do so is a big question to ponder, especially now that most of humanity has turned into undead, brain-eating corpses.

Undeterred and defiant, Little Rock strays off the grounds in search of others like herself, setting in motion a rescue mission to find her. Along the way, the rest of the gang will stumble upon a series of characters portrayed by Luke Wilson, Rosario Dawson, Zoey Deutch, Thomas Middleditch and Avan Jogia. And let’s not forget Bill Murray’s cameo at the very end.

See it. The sequel is funny and clever, though at times the jokes sound like old, tired clichés.

Watch the trailer:

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