Unimaginative 'Witches' Retread Lacks The Magic Of Roald Dahl's Classic

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The new adaptation of 'The Witches,' starring Anne Hathaway, is ultimately an unimaginative retread of the 1983 novel by Roald Dahl, our critic writes. But Hathaway gives it her all, throwing herself into the role with obvious relish.

That backdrop, along with the casting of two Black actors in lead roles, introduces an intriguing racial subtext that isn't sufficiently developed. The movie sometimes directs our attention to the contrast between the hotel's mostly Black staff and its wealthy white clientele. At one point, Grandma flashes back to her childhood in the segregated South, where she once had a close run-in with a witch herself.

Apart from the cute if overly cartoonish-looking mice, most of the visual-effects budget seems to have gone toward making Hathaway look as grotesque as possible. Beyond her ability to fly and shoot death rays out of her eyeballs, this Grand High Witch has three fingers on each hand, a single toe on each foot — which is more than the other witches have — and, most disturbingly, a sharp-toothed grin that stretches from ear to ear.

Whether she's ranting at her subordinates for their incompetence or sniffing out a child right under her nose, Hathaway is clearly giving it her all, and I have to admit, I couldn't look away from her. She may be no match for Anjelica Huston, but she's still the closest this movie gets to casting a spell.

 

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Our family enjoyed it!

My only issue with a lot of these reboots is the lack of practical effects. They are what made the originals the classics that they are.

iamnatepeterson

Ok but can we stop pretending that the original movie is some sort of masterpiece?

If NPR hates it, it must be good.

Ouch

I have never disagreed with NPR more than in this moment.

Never gonna watch it. I loved the book and the original movie. Stop it with the damn remakes.

How did your critic find how they handled the pervasive anti-semitism of the book, in this adaptation?

Massive oversight they didn’t cast Madonna as the lead cos that bish is TERRIFYING

It was just okay. Anne Hathaway was good. Could have done without the over the top narration by Chris Rock.

My family watched it last night and my three tween/teen kids loved it!

Justin Chang's critique of The Witches is an unimaginative retread of every critique ever written by someone who 'liked the original.'

I like Anne Hathaway though Jennifer Aniston would’ve done a good job

Another crap movie designed to make Hollywood a lot of undeserved money.

I can't imagine anything with Hathaway in it being good.

This makes me so sad, I was really hoping it would be good. I’m still going to watch it though. I just know not to have high expectations.

Hater.

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