Maleficent: Mistress of Evil has been playing in cinemas over the last two weeks, with the winged villain casting a spell on audiences around the world, topping the US box-office over its first weekend. Despite starring Angelina Jolie, though, the sequel was a tall order. Not only did the movie bring back Elle Fanning's Sleeping Beauty, three Fairy Godmothers, and a (recast) prince, but Mistress of Evil introduced the world to Michelle Pfeiffer's sniping Queen Ingrith and Chiwetel Ejiofor's leader of the Dark Feys (the race Maleficent belongs to).
The question, though, is does the second Maleficent film prove itself a worthy sequel? Our sister publication, Total Film, gave the original four stars, with the magazine's editor Jane Crowther describing it as: "Magical but modern, family-friendly but feisty and a feast for the eyes." However, Mistress of Evil was only awarded two-stars by our reviewer, and labelled "uninspired and unnecessary".
On the new episode of Inside Total Film, the team (including myself, Jane and reviews editor Matthew Leyland) discuss Mistress of Evil at length, debating whether it proves itself a worthy sequel or disappointing "half-term fodder," and if it's worth paying full price to see a very funny scene with a goat!
Also on the podcast, Total Film speaks to Joel Edgerton about The King, and Jane talks about being on the London Film Festival jury.
Inside Total Film is available through the following podcast providers: Audioboom, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox, and Deezer.
