The Witches

I was surprised to the reaction to this film... It's completely inoffensive and does everything it needs to with the charm of grandma, the malice of the Grand High Witch, etc. I'm getting the feeling that these are reactionary responses to yet another 'bland and unoriginal Hollywood' trend even though this is an adaptation of Roald Dahl's book, just like the 1990 version is.

It's alright if people don't like this movie I suppose but acting like it's the worst thing to come to screens is an exaggeration to say the least. Kids are most definitely going to enjoy it, it is for them after all, not the adults comparing it to the 1990 adaptation, so I'd say this film was a success in what if wanted to do.

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!

If I hadn't seen the original film, then I may have scored this higher. There's nothing overtly wrong with it but to me it feels just a little flat vs the original, and only improves once the cgi kicks-in. People new to the book may even prefer this version but for me the original is far better.

The Grand High Witch is killing it. but seriously, she's terrible. From the start on, with the weird Chris Rock voice-over, this remake goes wrong wherever it can wrong. The acting is stiff, the focus is hardly on all the other witches, the CGI is not good. Even the housekeeping cart seems to come from the CGI box. Positive thing: Octavia Spencer is doing her best to be a genuine grandmother, and she succeeds, but that's about it. OK, yes, I am a fan of the 1990 movie. Even though it wasn't as close to the original story, I really can't believe Roald Dahl would recognize his book in this mess. The first movie was gorgeous in it's authenticity. It has folklore, it has an edge, it has a heart. This is Hollywood factory work and seems to want to be much more than it can deliver. It made me miss much more than the purple glow in the witches eyes. It made me want to just throw up like a witch who smells children. I'm not saying you shouldn't watch it. I am sure that an entire generation who never grew up with the original will disagree, but to me, this is like cursing in a church. It's horrible.

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.