If you grew up in the 90s, you probably had some kind of weird niche that you held dear to your heart. Ironically, a good deal of those niches found themselves rooted within the subgenre of horror to a large extent. Whether you grew up on television, books, or movies there was something for everyone, even seeing a few properties crossover into different mediums. Nickelodeon’s Are You Afraid of the Dark found life first as a Saturday night television series that boasted anthological horror stories for kids. A few years later, the midnight society moved from television to print by bringing their stories to books. Goosebumps did the reverse of that. First starting off as books and then moving to television as a result of its popularity. We came close to a Tim Burton movie in the late 90s but they could never actually agree upon the story. Finally in 2015 we got a marvelous movie with Jack Black.
Disney Channel original movies tried their hand at the horror code with movies like Halloweentown, Under Wraps, and Phantom of the Multiplex. Disney saw success on the silver screen as well, thanks to now cult properties Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Television saw its fair scare of cult classics that only lasted one season; yet somehow developed a cult following years after cancelations. Shows like Eerie, Indiana, and Ghost Writer saw life from behind the grave. Sometimes you don’t know a good thing until it’s gone. Sometimes that’s all you need to appreciate a property; let it sit for a year or two and allow it to take on a life of its own.
Nearly 30 years before she ever donned the gothic aesthetic of Morticia Addams, Anjelica Huston was a witch starring in the cult classic, The Witches. Much like the climate of Hollywood, Robert Zemmicks returns behind the camera to give us a modern day rehash of the classic Roald Dahl story. Roald Dahl’s The Witches tells the story of an orphan named Charlie (Jahzir Bruno) who goes to live with his grandmother (Octavia Spencer). It’s here that he first encounters and is subsequently stalked by witches and eventually set on the road to his own revenge against the coven and their leader, Grand High Witch (Anne Hathaway). Growing up, this was a movie that I missed out on. I only just watched the original 1990 version for the first time a few days ago.
I don’t want to make it sound like I’m comparing the two but I want to give you context on how I approached this movie. As well as my thoughts in processing the feature for this review. The original feels very quick paced and comes with some plot holes I couldn’t overlook. What Zemmicks is able to do with this adaptation is bring a sense of depth that was absent from its predecessor. Spencer as the grandmother is the perfect example of that. She seems like the perfect fit for the role. Bruno’s character describes her as a tough lady with a big heart. I can’t help but reflect that is the perfect embodiment of her character. Spencer brings a depth of emotion and vigor that allows the film to stand on its own. Remakes always manage to bring comparisons to their source material. I, myself, fell into that trap right here. I have to say that Spencer makes this film feel completely different. While this narrative follows the same beats, Spencer and Bruno are the emotional core that allows it to thrive.
Having Chris Rock narrate the movie as an older version of Bruno isn’t a bad touch either. Hathaway probably has some of the biggest shoes to fill out most of this reboot’s cast. Hathaway feels larger than life. I always feel like Hathaway, to me, is an underappreciated actress. This movie continues to fuel that argument. She is menacing from the first frame you even meet her. She hasn’t even revealed herself to be a witch yet either. She’s cunning simply as a character. She is exactly what this movie needed in order to thrive.
The Witches is far from perfect. Special effects in our modern age can seriously transport audiences to other worlds and experience a new euphora of the fantastical. Modern movies like the Planet of the Apes trilogy or Avatar have thrust us into bold, beautiful, new worlds through the magic of computer technology. Unfortunately, when it comes to The Witches, that type of magic is in short supply. Whether it’s the animals of the movie, Hathaway’s near Joker smile or her MewTwo-like flight ability - the CGI is atrocious. To call it hilariously bad would be an understatement. I understand that this is a kid’s movie and they’re not gonna be really upset about that element. But when nearly 20% of your movie is computer generated, give your audience more credit than that. This just feels like a lazy approach to storytelling.
Overall, Roald Dahl’s The Witches builds upon what has come before it but manages to carve out its own identity. Whether or not this one will see the life of cult status like its predecessor remains to be seen. Yet, the cast in Anne Hathaway and Octavia Spencer deliver a compelling and oddly deep story about our past and the events of the world. The performances are exceptional. Though the real sin is how fast the magic runs out for the special effects. The CGI underperforms in every way imaginable, making what should be scary into something comical. Robert Zemmicks delivers on satisfying performances, a rich narrative, and a fun time.
RORSCHACH RATING:
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Victims and Villains is written Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey (and produced by) and more. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. Roland Dahl’s The Witches is property of HBO Max & Warner Brothers Pictures. We do not own nor claim any rights. This review was edited by Cam Smith. Roland Dahl’s The Witches is now streaming exclusively on HBO Max.
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