It would be wrong to call “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” a long-awaited sequel … because nobody was waiting for it.

Its 2014 predecessor, a feminist spinoff of “Sleeping Beauty” that portrayed the winged villain as complex — yes, she curses a newborn baby, but she has her reasons! — was merely adequate. Angelina Jolie was a socially awkward hoot as the title character, but was underutilized in her own movie.

In “Mistress of Evil,” everything is a notch less fun, romantic and engaging. While the first film was, like “Wicked,” an alternate view of a classic good-versus-evil tale, its sequel is a one-note, moralistic sledgehammer with no payoff. The narrator begins by saying, “Twice upon a time … ” And that’s as witty as it gets.

Now the fully awake Aurora (Elle Fanning) is queen of the Moors, the woodland enclave where the magic folk live. She doesn’t do much ruling, though — she mostly smiles and skips in the grass.

Aurora is still betrothed to Prince Philip (Harris Dickinson), who looks like a member of One Direction and whose emotional arc has but one direction: apathy. A wedding is planned, and so Aurora must take Maleficent, her guardian, to meet his royal parents.

Like any modern family, the dinner conversation gets contentious and weird, as Philip’s mom, Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer), coldly reveals her anti-Moors prejudices. Maleficent is enraged, and a fight ensues, causing the king to fall into a coma and Maleficent to be presumed dead.

Director Joachim Rønning’s last project was called “Doomsday.” Makes sense, because “Mistress of Evil” now turns into a full-blown war film. Pfeiffer, who hasn’t played a nice character in years (was Ruth Madoff nice?), embraces her inner Cersei Lannister, standing atop a tower and ordering brutal attacks on cute creatures. Much of the human kingdom of Ulsted is reduced to rubble and flames, and good times are had by none.

The returning characters, who were silly before, have become practically animatronic. The three good fairies, including Imelda Staunton, sound like the Chipmunks in this film, instead of boasting believable voices. And midway through, we meet a clan of birdlike beings, like Maleficent, who prove vital to the plot. Where were these warriors during the last film? On sabbatical?

In her first live-action role since 2015, Jolie is just as regal and snarky as she was the first time around, and hers is the only character who gets a decent joke. But, for God knows what reason, she’s barely in it, with most of the story handed to Fanning’s distraught Aurora. Nothing against the emotive young actress, but it’s hard to outshine a sorceress with horns and cheekbones that could slice a rib-eye.

I’m relieved Disney is still making the occasional movie that isn’t a frame-by-frame re-creation of a classic cartoon. But even so, if the “Maleficent” filmmakers plan on belaboring this story any more, they need to come out of their own creative deep sleep.