Time's Richard Corliss declares that, with the exception of Angelina Jolie,
"this pricey live-action drama is a dismaying botch," as Stromberg, "has no mastery of casting and guiding actors, little sense of narrative pace or build and -- the big, sad surprise -- a leaden sense of visualizing Maleficent’s fairyland.
" While Jolie "is the visual, aural and behavioral embodiment of an otherworldly goddess capable of anything, from poisonous curses to surrogate-mother love ... other than Jolie’s grandeur, and a bit of Fanning’s freshness, the movie’s got nothing," pointing out that Copley "lacks the traditional skills needed for a fairy-tale hero turned villain."