REVIEW: The Witches (2020)
If you grew up in the 90’s, there’s a good chance you may have rented a terrifying little children’s film called “The Witches” on VHS and decided to pop it in one stormy night, only to run out of the room screaming shortly thereafter. The movie, adapted from the Roald Dahl book of the same name, is mostly remembered for Angelica Huston’s performance as the Grand High Witch as well as some truly terrifying make-up/puppetry courtesy of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. In fact, it was the last film Henson worked on before his passing. Though it wasn’t a box-office hit upon its initial release and Dahl himself had some issues with it (particularly with the changed ending), it’s since become a cult classic with many admiring the effects, Huston’s performance, and how it managed to tackle some of the darker, scarier elements in the book.
Of course, old is new in the eyes of Hollywood who have now given us a new version of Dahl’s story. With the seemingly endless COVID-19 pandemic, the film skipped theaters (unusual for a Warner Bros. release) and has instead dropped on HBO Max. This new adaptation comes courtesy of three people: Guillermo Del Toro (producer/co-writer), Kenya Barris (co-writer), and Robert Zemeckis (director/co-writer). So we have a new adaptation made with the input of three very different people, and boy does it show.
This new adaptation reminded me of the Tim Burton “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” in that I was actually fairly enjoying it in the first half hour. However, once Anne Hathaway showed up, the movie loses all of its charm and it becomes a run-of-the-mill bouncy, colorful CGI-fest that lacks any of the wit, charm, or scares that made the original film and the book so compelling for both children and adults. This film instead is reliant on fart jokes, fat jokes, cartoonish special effects, and modern humor that feels like it’s pandering to children rather than giving them anything smart to take in. There are some genuine moments of supsense but they don’t feel earned. They feel as though it’s just the filmmakers banking on you having already seen the original.
Despite what I said of the film’s decline, it’s not due to the cast. Hathaway’s acting early on the film is actually quite good. She’s actually genuinely menacing before she has to make her “big reveal,” which in itself isn’t much of a reveal so much as it’s reminiscent of the overly CG’d Pennywise in the “It” films.From then on she’s completely over-the-top to the point where it just feels like she’s trying too hard. Of course, Huston left some big shoes to fill. Octavia Spencer is a highlight though she is forced to say some ridiculous dialogue at times, but her warmth and her charm shine through. Stanley Tucci’s role is, well, a typical role for him and he doesn’t get quite as much to do.
The changes made to the source material feel forced and don’t gel with the the story that’s still in tact. Often times the story takes detours that either go completely unexplained or feel all too convenient. Additional characters are written in that feel wholly unnecesarry and underdeveloped. What’s worse is that while the original adaptation changed the book’s depressing ending, much to Dahl’s previously mentioned chagrin, this film makes it seem like they’re going to go in that direction, only to take it in the safest, most kid-friendly place you can imagine.
The best way I can describe this new version of “The Witches” is that it’s dumbed-down Dahl. Not sophisticated enough for adults, sure, but certainly children deserve better than this. A waste of the talents of some fine actors as well as various creative people behind the scenes who, though talented, were likely mismatched on a property that easily lends itself to the right people.
C-
