Hexen hexen

Roald Dahl was my favorite author throughout my childhood and adolescence, and even now I still tremendously enjoy re-reading his novels, or - even better - reading them to my 8-year-old daughter. Of all the writers in the world and in history, Dahl created the most insanely imaginative fantasy worlds and the most colorfully eccentric characters. In every decade since the 1960s there has been at least one famous film adaptation of Dahl's work, and often they were helmed by some of the world's most acclaimed directors (like Nicholas Roeg, Steven Spielberg, Tim Burton, and now Robert Zemeckis)

"The Witches", Dahl's awesomely grim and eerie novel from 1983, already received a film version once in 1990, and - in my humble opinion - that version stood the test of time very well. Still, the skeptical author got to see it shortly before his death and didn't like it, so producer Guillermo Del Toro and director Robert Zemeckis considered it was time for a re-interpretation. The result is an overall enjoyable movie (or at least more enjoyable than what the harsh reviews around here claim), but nevertheless one with many shortcomings and tiny disappointments.

The narration of Chris Rock feels awkward and misfit from the very first minute. Although he never appears in the film, Rock's voice is supposedly the young and orphaned boy whom, together with his loving grandma, courageously confronts a whole coven of witches, and the diabolical Grand High Witch in particular, in a picturesque seaside hotel. While Octavia Spencer and the young Jahzir Bruno gave away likable performances, the frequent interruptions by Rock's irritating voice formed a nuisance to me. Furthermore, I read a lot of negative comments regarding Anna Hathaway's depiction of the Grand High Witch, but I honestly can say she's quite alright. Sure, she can't hold a candle to Anjelica Huston, who was born for the role, but I dug Hathaway's exaggeratedly nasty accent and her overacting.

The biggest default of the 2020 version, according to me, is how Dahl's vivid imaginary setting and lead characters were turned into uninspired and soulless CGI effects. Anjelica Huston's transformation into the Grand High Witch gave 9-year-old me nightmares for weeks, while there's nothing even remotely scary about her digital transformation here. Same goes for the kids turning into mice, and the legendary moment when all witches take their wigs off. These sequences are a lot less impactful and astonishing as in the 1990s version. I read somewhere that producer Guillermo Del Toro initially wanted the effects to be stop-motion. Why didn't he persist? He's the producer after all, and a classic Dahl story needs old-fashioned handicraft effects!

In 1968, a young Hero Boy is forced to go live with his grandma (Octavia Spencer) after losing his parents in a car accident. She tells him that witches are real and they hate children. As a child, she lost her friend when a witch turned her into a chicken. She gives him a white mouse. She takes him to a seaside hotel for an escape hoping that witches would not search there since black children are rarely at the luxury hotel. Unfortunately, the Grand High Witch (Anne Hathaway) has gathered her followers to present a potion to turn all children into mice.

This is the second film adaptation of the Roald Dahl children's book. The 1990 adaptation stars Anjelica Huston and is a fan favorite. It's probably a fool's errand to try to do another. The only reason is to upgrade the mice with CGI and that's often a bad idea. The charm of the old animatronics is actually more timeless than CGI which ages over time. It does inject some American racial divide into the story but the movie drops that interesting take rather quickly. The one awful thing it does is to replace the greatness of Huston with a terribly weird Joker-smiling Hathaway. It is bad. There is no good reason for this movie and watching it proves that.

The remake was okay but much lighter in tone than its predecessor and the cheesy humor was kinda cringeworthy. I would've preferred a much darker spin and more sinister vibe over this comical TV movie offering but oh well. Octavia was really good as always but the cheap CGI did let the movie down. It's also been very clear for a number of years now that Anne's forte are not accents. I mean she sounded comical and even Scottish in certain parts...like girl come on now. It goes without saying that Anjelica Huston's performance was much stronger and scarier in the 1990 version, but overall the cast, sets and writing were okay.

I'm sure people will hate this movie no matter what because they love the original and I get that but it's not bad at all. My kids loved it and love the original so they actually pulled it off in my opinion. People may also find other ways or reasons to hate it (probably involves current issues politics bs etc.) but seriously it's not bad. You also have to remember these movies are kids movies based on a kids book so if your pissed that a movie from your childhood has been remade, that's sad. At least they waited 30 years to do it. The first one is a lot scarier but that's because of the awesome makeup and not cgi.

The original "The Witches" is a Childhood Classic that we all grew up watching & the setting & the actual Witches themselves looked way better back then in 1990 than these CGI creations look today in 2021.

Robert Zemeckis is an excellent director & he does good here but like every big film today it's overrealiant on CGI affects & even with it's mega budget it doesn't look as good or as richly beautiful as the darker original old Classic. Also the actors were alot better in the original as was the Hotel but as a new version as a fun fantasy adventure it's still a decent watch.

Anne Hathaway is good as the main head witch but again got nothing on the scariness of Angelica Huston.

The characters have changed to the cast of a Black version which was ok because i liked Chris Rock telling the story & Octavia Spencer is really good as the grandma who takes the little boy to a big beautiful Hotel to escape a Witch encounter but end up right in the middle of a Witches meeting place. Stanley Tucci is fine but felt very subdued & not fun like Rowan Atkinson's Classic part. The kids are fine & the CGI mice are cartoony looking but there is some Magic here & the story is pretty much exactly the same as the original but just not done as great.

Still this update is a fun film with decent performances & nice cinematography but it just ain't on the level of that Original Classic.