Just in time for the witching hour of Halloween, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is here to cast its spell on those who want a little Disney villainy in their lives. 3D conversions always bring such powers to life, but at what cost?
Which means it’s time to crack open the old spellbook and see if Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is worth the extra 3D cash, or if it’s something best left in the dark corners of Moors. If you’re curious about how we felt about the film itself, you can read our official review elsewhere. But if you’re ready to fly, let’s spread our wings and swoop into the details of this latest 3D adventure in a theater near you.
3D Fit Score: 5/5
It’s pretty easy to imagine how well a film like Maleficent: Mistress of Evil would translate into a stunning 3D experience. With a full-scale war, magical realms of wondrous creatures that fly and float,
and dark corners populated with secrets and creatures, the Maleficent sequel could make for something pretty impressive. With the right 3D approach, this film could be truly eye-popping.
Planning & Effort Score: 3/5
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’s 3D presentation is unfortunately not as impressive as the film itself.
There are several factors that contribute to this, including brightness, screen dimming, and an unbalanced level of Before/Beyond The Window action. These problems are not limited to one particular area, which makes the overall 3D experience quite lackluster.
Before the Window: 2/5
In terms of objects being thrown off of the screen, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil doesn’t land on a consistent level of disappointment, as the film does show in a couple of cases that it can project thrills outside of the window’s frame.
Musket *****, arrows, and other weapons shoot out to the audience, but those are about the only notable features that really poke out of the film’s overall picture. One of those effects even causes a bit of a visual wonkiness, confusing the eyes in its execution, and that’s a shame.
Beyond the Window Score: 4/5
Thankfully, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil doesn’t forget to add the depths to its Beyond The Window component, giving the audience a lot of lush thrills when it comes to seeing how deep this particular rabbit hole goes.
Characters and their environments are separated to impressive degree, with a lot of close-up shots putting a premium on where the participants are standing respectively. But there’s a minor hiccup in the fact that some scenes feel deeper than others. In one moment, the picture feels endless, and in the next,
But there’s a small issue in that some scenes look more stretched out than others. In one moment, the film appears to be never-ending, and then in the next scene,
Brightness Score: 3/5
3D pictures are usually a bit dim because of the glasses required to create the illusion, but if your theater doesn’t have its equipment properly maintained or calibrated, it can affect the 3D presentation of a film. For example, Maleficent:
Mistress of Evil was shown in a theater where the 3D effect wasn’t turned on until halfway through the 3D trailers. This caused the calibration to be off, which made the film appear grayer than normal.
Glasses Off Score: 3/5
At some point during Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, you’ll want to take your 3D glasses off to get a break from the blurriness. To create the 3D effect, the movie blurs the images on screen, which can be tiring to look at for a long period of time. The depth in the movie also varies throughout, which can be disorienting.
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