Sleeping Beauty is a popular fairy tale, and most of us are familiar with it to some extent. In case you have been lucky enough to steer clear of this famous folklore tale, here’s a very shortened version: There is a terrible witch who curse a young princess to fall into a never-ending slumber, until a kiss from a prince awakens her. The prince kisses her, and the terrible spell of the witch is defeated. So that’s basically what thе story is all about.
How faithful is Pearry Reginald Teo’s new adaptation, The Curse of Sleeping Beauty, to the original story? For one, it diverges quite a bit from the initial premise, which gives room for several twists, some of which are pleasurable and some are not. The liberties that Teo chooses to take could be categorized as perilous, or as creative. It’s all a matter of personal taste in the end. I prefer my Sleeping Beauty to be mute.
The version of her in this film moves in and out of hallucinations while a sleeping woman pops up in the fantasy dreams of Thomas (he’s our main hero). Since we hear so much from her, which is completely unnecessary, the typically exceptional power that the character possesses is stripped away, and that power was mystery, only. The Curse of Sleeping Beauty tries to take the frightening side of sleeping beauty, but the side is entirely original: she is an eccentric goth girl who talks too much and has several pounds of makeup plastered on her face. Just didn’t really work for me.
There are certain elements in this story that I was able to appreciate. For one, I liked the setting. Trying to make a period piece would have certainly created a host of new problems and naturally (and clearly) there is no budget here to mess with. So, in my eyes, the choice to reimagine the story was astute it was a clever move.
I’m doing my best not to ruin the film for those planning to watch it (at some points, the film differs quite a lot from the original, which can be looked at as a good or bad thing), so please excuse the overly ambiguous language used in this review. The reality is that there may be a lot of cornballs out there, but the charm of this film is great. While this is a no-budget picture, it provides some really nice shots, some of them with practical special effects (not only, but enough to satisfy the fans of the pre-CGI era) and that earns respect.
Let’s discuss the more praiseworthy elements of the film’s setup. Thomas has been having sleep problems where he dreams of what seems to be an alternate reality. In these dreams, he sees visions of a young lady who is in a comatose state. There is a level of mystery here why is Thomas seeing and dreaming these things? While we are on the topic, why would a distant relative that he has never met leave behind an estate to him in his will? This reason, to some extent, acts as a catalyst for the conflict.
That is a great starting point. The man who portrays the hero Thomas, Ethan Peck, plays the role of confusion and suspicion very well. More than once, it makes him seem natural in the way he responds to certain situations. That will undeniably help in providing traction to the story and advancing it on the right path. And that path is, for the most part, farther into the giant house that Thomas has come into possession of.
We’ve been treated to some interesting captures within these walls thanks to Teo along with the cinematographer Christopher C. Pearson and the editor Damian Drago. With the combined efforts of these three artists, we have received an interesting tale with a few memorable characters and a few deftly placed fantastical shots.
The Curse of Sleeping Beauty is a film that could be considered an overachiever. Before watching, I set my expectations low, fully expecting the film to be no better than the forgettable Sci-Fi originals or the uninspired Asylum copy-cat films. What I was given was a picture that actually has a pulse, directed very well and with some interesting visuals. Don’t write this one off without extending it the chance it deserves. While The Curse of Sleeping Beauty doesn’t seem likely to wrangle a number of high profile awards, it definitely has more heart than many films out there and has great aspirations. Personally, that goes a long way for me.
Effort, heart, and Dedication is the essence of The Curse of Sleeping Beauty, and whether you perceive it as a stampede failure of immeasurable proportions or a gift from the celluloid Gods, it deserves an open-minded, fair shake. I certainly respect him, and Pearry Reginald Teo, Christopher C. Pearson, and Damian Drago deserve my respect too. As an obsessed, thirty plus year fan of the genre, I will celebrate this crew, not for the creation of a groundbreaking film (that is nowhere near the case), but for attempting to create a motion picture that certainly strives to make them as entertained as possible and consistently.
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