When Maleficent’s (Angelina Jolie) god daughter Aurora (Elle Fanning) becomes engaged to Prince Philip (Harris Dickinson) his mother Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer) sees it as an opportunity to resolve the differences between humans and fey peoples.

I’ll start with the good aspects of Disney’s sequel to 2014’s Maleficent. Firstly my children loved it and ultimately they are the target audience. Secondly, as with the original, the make up and costumes that create Jolie’s character is fantastic. But that is it I am afraid.

I found the story to be dull and confused with characters making odd and conflicting choices and entire scenes that made zero sense other than the writers/director thought they might look good. One particular scene involving an organ was unbearable in its stupidity. Performances are generally phoned in too. Fanning and Dickinson share no chemistry and just come across as insipid. Whilst the introduction of Chiwetel Ejiofor and Ed Skrein as creatures of the same race as Maleficient are completely wasted, both reduced to plot devices rather than characters. The only people to come out with any dignity are Jolie and Pfeiffer and the film could have done with seeing them in the same scene far more often.

Ultimately it’s a light fantasy story aimed at a younger audience. But I would suggest parents taking their children along to the cinema might get better mileage from sneaking in a quick sleep in the cinema.