DHAKA: Moviegoers have fought back against critics who haven’t been won over by Disney’s ‘Maleficent’.

There’s been a bit of a dichotomy in opinion when it comes to Disney’s Maleficent.

Angelina Jolie’s eagerly anticipated film was released last week, and despite taking $70 million on its opening weekend, has received mixed reviews from critics.

Jolie, who plays the titular character, has been highly praised for her performance, although it’s often noted that her acting is the redeeming feature of the live-action film.

Vulture’s Bilge Ebiri sums up: ‘Jolie’s commitment to the part is admirable: She gives this Maleficent a real emotional urgency. But the rest of the movie lets her down’.

Perhaps the most scathing review comes from Jonathan Romney at The Guardian, who gives the film just one star.

Romney describes Maleficent as an ‘icky affair’, dubbing the movie a ‘messy live-action retelling of Sleeping Beauty’ and criticising Jolie, who he claims is ‘equipped with a range of variable English accents’.

BDST: 1729 HRS, JUNE 02, 2014