Villain puts her spin of Fairytale

SHE haunted cinemagoers once upon a dream. Fifty-five years after her appearance in the feature-length animation 'Sleeping Beauty', the ‘Mistress of All Evil’ has returned to the big screen. The live-action 'Maleficent' was released at cinemas on Wednesday (28 May) and attempts to explain why the fairy came to be so apparently evil.

In her Disney debut, Maleficent was not invited to the christening of baby Aurora, King Stefan and Queen Leah’s first daughter. So she invited herself to the celebrations by making a dramatic entrance to the palace. Though on the outside Maleficent appeared calm and collected, inside she was seething. She pronounced a curse over Aurora, saying that she would indeed grow in beauty and grace and would be loved by all who knew her, but before the sun set on her 16th birthday, she would prick her finger on the needle of a spinning wheel and die.

Three good fairies, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather, came up with a plan to pose as peasant women and raise Aurora in a cottage deep in the woods until her 16th birthday was safely over. But Maleficent sent her minions on a frantic hunt for the girl to kidnap her and bring her within pricking distance of a spindle.

What could be Maleficent’s problem? Why is she so evil?

The saying goes that there are two sides to every story. The new film reveals a formerly unseen ‘side’ - the cause of the evil fairy’s bitterness. A young and innocent Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) lives peacefully in the forest kingdom. One day, an army from the human kingdom invades the land. What’s worse, Maleficent suffers a painful betrayal that costs her her wings - and her heart. Hardened and wanting revenge, the Mistress of All Evil places a curse over the daughter of King Stefan. But, over the years, Maleficent comes to know Aurora and realises that she might even be the key to change.

Angelina Jolie says she hopes cinema audiences will understand more about why Maleficent is the way she is and will ‘come away feeling that no one is beyond redemption’.

At times, life is painful for everyone. We may regret moments when we have acted out of character. We may have been hurt by someone we deeply care for and consequently become hard and cold. We may feel bad about ourselves and take it out on those closest to us. Perhaps we feel that forgiveness for our mistakes isn’t within reach. Ashamed, we come to the conclusion that we’re unloveable and past help.

But the best part of the world’s story is that no one is beyond redemption. The Bible reassures us that if we allow him, God can be the key to our change. One writer said: ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our sins from us’ (Psalm 103:12 Good News Bible).

We can change our story by accepting God’s forgiveness for our shortcomings and love. If we put our trust in God, we can remain secure in the knowledge that, no matter how many times we mess up, he will give us another chance. Is it time we started a new chapter?

UK & Ireland War Cry 31 May 2014