Matilda, la comédie musicale

My children are currently rehearsing for this musical with their theatre group so we were looking forward to this.

The songs are all there and brilliantly performed. The staging and filming is so stunning to watch. Emma Thompson plays a good Miss Trunchabull. We all know the story of Matilda so I won't go into that but this is a film for the whole family to enjoy. Don't wait for it to stream on Netflix, this film really benefits from a big screen and awesome sound stage.

I would happily watch this film again, it was an excellent feel good film. The cast were perfect in each of the roles and choreography was brilliant.

I took my 8 year old girl and she was mesmerised. She loves the Matilda older movie though and I don't so I was a bit sceptical.

It was really enjoyable, the whole cast were fab especially the kids and Emma Thompson.

The girl playing Matilda was really good in the role, super cute. I must admit I had a few tears at the end of it.

The cinema was full of mums and daughters, with the odd boy and dad. But the whole reactions seemed to be good and especially the Emma Thompson parts, she nailed it. Even scared me lol.

If I had to say a negative thing it was a tad on the long side for me almost bang on 2 hours.

I was watching this thinking how much Alisha Weir's performance in the title role reminded me of Emma Watson's "Hermione" from back in 2001! Feisty and intelligent, she is sent by her parents to the "Cruncher Hall" school where she encounters "Miss Trunchbull" (Dame Emma Thompson). Now this is a teacher who would not have looked out of place working with King Herod at Christmas! The children live in fear of her, as do the staff - but as "Matilda" starts to bond with "Miss Honey" (Lashana Lynch) and realises her true potential, well - a rebellion is soon in the offing! It's a strong story this - Dahl addressed many issues of neglectful parenting, bullying, intimidation and sexual stereotyping and Tim Minchin puts much of that sentiment effectively to music with a clever and entertaining lyric. The almost unrecognisable Dame Emma is on top form exuding an almost ridiculous degree of menace as helped by her array of cctv cameras, she rules the school with a rod of iron. Weir really enters into the spirit of things - she puts her heart and soul into the enthusiastic, mischievous and engaging character and with some enjoyably choreographed ensemble dance numbers this all delivers well. It still has a bit of the theatrical to it, some of the production doesn't quite make the best use of the flexibility the big screen offers, but the toe-tapping "Naughty" and "Revolting Children" help put a smile on your face for a surprisingly quickly-paced two hours.

Fittingly this is a British cast and filmed in the UK. Roald Dahl would have been proud. The exception to the rule being Tim Minchin. But his music transposes from stage to film excellently, allowing for an even greater visual feast playing with his clever lyrics.

My biggest issue with the 1996 version being Danny DeVito playing Mr Wormwood as well as being the narrator. But this film avoids the obvious pitholes and is a huge step away from the original, music aside.

The casting is well thought. Emma Thompson playing Miss Trunchbull with little effort it seems as she is obviously enjoying every evil second of it. I don't mean to be mean to Ms. Thompson, but it really didn't look like she was wearing much in the way of prosthetics, but I mean this in a good way. Nanny McPhee simply looked like Emma Thompson wearing loads of plastic.

You know Stephen Graham always delivers but my only criticism is that he was on screen too little. Andrea Riseborough was new to me, but again, too little screen time. I guess being a musical, they had to devote more time to the musical numbers. The two main hitters being "When I grow up" and "Revolting Children" These were well presented and brilliantly re-worked for the big screen.

When I first saw Alisha Weir (Matilda) I was a bit worried that she wouldn't deliver, the role of Matilda being a lot more complex than it first appears. But I was very quickly blown away by her ability to bring pathos and the next minute show that she was no pushover no matter the consequences. I was also glad that she was not your typical stage kid. Her performance being understated and effective in the process.

The standout performance was for me Lashana Lynch as Miss Honey. She deserves awards galore for this role. If she doesn't make you cry then you are made of stone.

This will undoubtedly be a classic and there is the appetite for strong female protagonists right now - Wednesday Addams put that meal on the table! A great family favourite made even better than the original.

There is so much to enjoy about Matilda the Musical.

It captures that certain kind of magic that only a musical can. It is rammed full of top class performances (Emma Thompson shines, and Alisha Weir is terrific in the lead role). The plot is very well put together and is full of outrageous fun and effective comedy. It captures the quirkiness and wonder of Roald Dahl's story perfectly.

The only real drawback for me is the songs. I only found myself properly enjoying the final song and dance. The rest just weren't really my cup of tea. Had there been a couple of more powerful or catchy songs I definitely would have given this film another star or two. I also though some of the acting was hammed up just a little too much for my liking.

Undoubtedly though Matilda is a very entertaining and fun film that will be sure to put a smile on your face.