Man and Witch: The Dance of a Thousand Steps

As a child of the 80s, I was intrigued by a film that promised to pay homage to the fantasy films of that decade...but also a bit skeptical about its ability to do so. That skepticism gave way to pure delight as the film delivered on that promise and then kept delivering.

The story's creative twists are charmingly and skillfully unfolded to us, and the film keeps a humorous and whimsical tone while delivering moments of actual scariness and suspense. The acting is uniformly terrific, from the two leads down to the tiny child playing Cupid. Jim Henson's puppets serve as a Greek Chorus of sorts in a way that engaged the children and amused the adults in the audience. And the broadening of the POV from just the goatherd to include the witch enhances the tension of the build to the film's very satisfying denouement.

The film carefully threads the needle between being a throwback to the 80s and commenting on the world of today. It's a joy to see something that unmitigatedly "feel-good," and it says a lot about this film that it has stuck with me in the weeks since I've seen it. I'd love to get to see it again and to share it with others of all ages.

Me, I got it. It's a self depreciating pantomime with a good budget.

I understand why there is a massive gap between the user reviews and scores. It's because you have to get what's going on and find that amusing, otherwise this is just a stinky pile of garbage.

The jokes were silly and funny and very British.

There was background visual gags that just added to the silliness.

Not only did I enjoy this Mickey take of a film, but I Loved it.

The cast including Mrs Doyle from Father Ted acted exactly as they should have done. Which is just go with the flow and don't take yourself or the role seriously.

Long and short is, if you watch the first five minutes and love it, you'll love it. Otherwise abort as you'll not get into it.

It must be nice to have such good friends and crew members who all think this movie is a 10 and not one score under 10 given.

How did this movie get made?

Someone actually financed this garbage?

Good luck getting your money back.

The acting was beyond bad.

ChatGPT could have written a better script.

The directing, lets just not comment on that, I have nothing nice to say about that.

Hollywood is dead. Its that simple.

No more good ideas and even less talented writers / directors who can produce a descent movie these days.

For all those who gave it a resounding 10 out of 10, get your head examined. This movie was a train wreck and if you think this is worthy of a 10, clearly this is the only movie you ever watched in your life and never witnessed a well crafted, well written, well acted and directed movie.

Guys stop giving 10's.

This one's out of the blue. It's funny without even trying. The dialog is simple and straightforward, but enjoyable nonetheless, because it does not pretend to be a hifalutin talking-head.

Every bit is enjoyable, and the laughs are always mostly unexpected.

Even the costumes add to its comedic flair; ogres who do not really look like ogres. No need for expensive CGI to make this film watchable.

I recognized Tami right away, and she is as beautiful as always.

The acting is apt. Even when the dialog is already too corny, it actually blends with the overall theme.

Stories like this, I miss. I hope filmmakers make more of this.

It is that rare kind of cinematic oddity that defies traditional notions of quality, effortlessly earning a place among those so-bad-it's-good films that viewers can't help but return to. The plot is delightfully absurd, wandering through medieval fantasy tropes with a charming lack of subtlety, like a fever dream conjured up in a basement D&D session. Characters are over-the-top and occasionally baffling, with performances that swing between campy earnestness and full-on melodrama. But for all its quirks, there's a strangely endearing quality about it-the way it fully commits to its wild, unapologetic weirdness without blinking. "Man and the Witch" is cinematic junk food, undeniably flawed yet irresistibly entertaining, the kind of film that begs for late-night re-watching with friends, a true cult gem for those who revel in the beautifully bizarre.