Robert Zemeckis takes Roald Dahl's story of The Witches and turns it into a strange kid's horror movie. The Witches is about a boy (who doesn't actually have a name, his name in the credits is literally 'hero boy') who wants to rid the world of witches who equally want to rid the world of children. The witches turn him into a mouse and he has to figure out a way to turn back into a normal boy.

The original Roald Dahl story of The Witches story is bizarre, that is something that the director cannot change. But I definitely think that he could have made a better movie. There are so many things wrong with this movie. For starters, it was impossible to know who was the intended audience. The humour that was on display was the type that was made for kids between the ages of seven and ten. There were even adorable small mice which that age group would just love but will unfortunately have to miss out on. There were scenes which were undoubtedly too scary for that demographic. The whole story even revolved around turning children into mice which would give the little ones frightful nightmares. Then there were the disturbing themes which are definitely not to be thought about.

I felt that the movie was a missed opportunity. The movie seemed to rush through the story. During the final moments of the film, I was waiting for the big climax; there was none. Although watching the movie was not a good experience, it could have been longer and could have redeemed itself by having a fantastic final act. Additionally, I thought there were elements and characters which could have been developed further. Without this development, many of the characters felt too shallow.

On the bright side, the animation was good. The CGI mice seemed quite realistic. The creepy witch spells were maybe a little too realistic. It was also an easy movie to understand. I watched this movie at a social event at the drive-ins with ten other teenagers. Through the distractions of others switching cars, eating snacks loudly, and having the radio occasionally cutting out, I was still able to understand the plot. From my viewing of the movie, this was a plus. But I can see how this could potentially take away from the experience of others. There were some small messages inside the movie, but these appeared to be stacked on at the end of the film. You would think that big names such as Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer and Stanley Tucci would make the movie more fun. Although they each played their characters well, they felt wasted.

I honestly don't know who to recommend The Witches for. Older teenagers who like horror movies won't appreciate the slapstick humour made for kids, and younger kids will be horrified by the scary scenes. If you want a rushed creepy movie with children's humour, zero character development, almost no deep messages or take-aways, and a wasted cast, then watch The Witches. According to my sister, who read and enjoyed Roald Dahl's original novel, the movie is somewhat enjoyable if you have read the book. If you are not a fan of Roald Dahl, then the movie is irrelevant.

The Witches is an interesting movie. One only to be watched if you are a big fan of the original novel and if you want to have the experience of watching a poorly made movie.

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci

Year released: 2020

My rating: 3/10

Review by Tristan Carr

Last edited: 07/03/21