The Witches – Solid But Not Groundbreaking Campy Family Fare

For our review of the original The Witches, click here.

The theatrical journey of the remake of 1990’s The Witches, based on the book by Roald Dahl, has been an interesting one to say the least. Having its theatrical release shifted in favor of a streaming release on HBO Max in late October as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic was followed by a theatrical rollout in Canada a month later. With the pandemic affecting the latter rollout, the film now sees a Canadian PVOD release on Christmas Day. While this strategy is sure to get the film seen by a wider audience, the PVOD price of $29.99 for a rental will be a moot point for some. Though its campiness will likely be a turn off for some audiences it is nevertheless a decent choice to watch with the family on Christmas day or any day. With a nice sense of style and fine performances, it is a film that does just enough to be engaging. Keep in mind, the subject matter may be too much for younger children.

The Witches tells the story of a young orphan boy (Jahzir Bruno) and his charming grandmother (Spencer) living in rural Alabama in a world where witches were very real and lived among us (and they weren’t like your standard witches). Still reeling after the tragic death of his parents, it was up to the grandmother to get him out the funk he was in. After an unfortunate run-in with a witch, the grandma whisks them away to a nearby resort but little did they know, they arrived at the same Grand High Witch (Hathaway) and her fellow witch cronies from around the globe to carry out their evil plans. Witches were not particularly fond of children so it was impossible for both parties to not collide at some point therefore it should come as no surprise to anyone that they did as the hijinks ensued. Meanwhile, their meeting was not a coincidence as the history between the grandma and the Grand High Witch (GHW) surfaced. With the boy getting the short end of the stick as a result of the witches (and he would not be alone in that matter), it was up to his grandmother to save the day.

Suffice it to say that it would take all of their cunning to outsmart the witches and their magical powers (which could be scary for younger viewers). While things got silly over the course of doing so, they were still effective. Being geared towards children, the predictability factor was hard to ignore but despite this, it was still a somewhat entertaining watch more often than not. The film as a whole is over-the-top which could be too much for some and though the film at times strays in the wrong direction, it wasn’t that much of a distraction and could be entertaining for some. What will be distracting, however, was the film’s overuse of CGI be it its many creatures or its display of the witches’ magical abilities. Meanwhile, the resort in which the majority of the film took place was nice to look at and Mr. Stringer (Tucci), the bumbling hotel manager, provided some funny moments while emasculated by the GHW. In the end, the film’s ending sets up what could be an interesting sequel that would go beyond Dahl’s original story. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen and will obviously depend on the film’s success (whatever that means in today’s terms).

Ultimately, the best part of The Witches was its performances with Spencer and Bruno leading the way as the strong boy and grandma combination. While Spencer’s energy and buy in to the film’s silly premise made her a blast to watch, her chemistry with the relative-newcomer Bruno, who was strong in his own right, made them fun to watch. Despite this, the big takeaway from the film will likely be Hathaway’s performance as the Grand High Witch. She definitely turns the knob to 11 in bringing boatloads of camp to the role. Though the character’s over-the-top nature may be too much for some (she could have toned it down), she was still somewhat entertaining to watch. Tucci was solid in a supporting role as Mr. Stringer.

At the end of the day, The Witches may not the best film ever but for what it is, it will do the job.

still courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.