MALEFICENT (PG) **** CINEWORLD, PLAZA AND ODEON Disney’s empowerment of female protagonists, which snowballed in the delightful Frozen, continues apace in Robert Stromberg's fantastical live-action fairytale.

Inspired by the studio's 1959 animation Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent is a visually stunning fantasy, which re-imagines the Brothers Grimm through the mascara-ed eyes of the eponymous villainess, who curses a fair princess to 100 years of slumber. Screenwriter Linda Woolverton casts a heady spell by embellishing the familiar yarn with neat flourishes.

Lines between good and evil become blurred in Angelina Jolie’s delicious portrayal of the vengeful fairy queen, whose belief in the power of ‘true love’s kiss’ is corrupted by the betrayal of the man she loves.

Sporting a hefty pair of horns, Jolie slinks through every frame, rolling menacing lines of dialogue around her mouth like candy and accentuating thinly veiled threats with an arched eyebrow.

Naughty has seldom looked and sounded so nice.

The princess of the story is played by Elle Fanning and Maleficent wonders if this innocent could unite feuding kingdoms and earn her happy ever after in the arms of prince Phillip (Brenton Thwaites).