The Witches

 

Image credit: Reeiviews

It’s a very hard time for cinema right now. I don’t need to tell anyone that. But I was thinking the other day, about the specific ramifications that a pandemic has on the cinematic experience. While here in Australia, a complete lockdown has not really been a thing (aside from Victoria’s during their second wave) the cinema has most certainly been affected by the health restrictions, with no new films coming through at first, to only a certain number coming through now. The films that are hitting the big screens, rather than being released through streaming services, are definitely of a certain visual ilk. I definitely noticed this with the last movie I went to a cinema to watch (and honestly regretted): The Witches.

Set in 1960s Alabama, The Witches tells the story of a boy and his grandmother who, whilst vacationing in a swanky hotel, stumble upon a congregation of witches that plan to rid the world of children by turning them into mice. Despite overhearing the details of their plan, the boy is turned is captured and turned into a mouse, and soon he and his grandmother are racing against the clock to stop the witches before they leave the hotel and put their dastardly plan into action. 

I was a fan of the original The Witches (1990) growing up and honestly I was surprised that someone decided that, of all the classic Dahl tales, this was the one that needed a remake. While I will say that the film is visually quite pretty, definitely made for the big screen, I found myself struggling to decide who the intended audience was. The lighting, costumes, and childish script really make this look like a kids’ film, yet it has an M rating. 

There were also a number of casting decisions that I struggled with. Set in 1960s Alabama the leading characters are African American, which I initially thought was going to mean that there would be some social commentary going on, or the Grand High Witch as a character would be a metaphor for segregation or something clever like that. Nope. Nada. While Octavia Spencer and Jazhir Bruno both deliver great performances, I felt that this setting and casting decision didn’t bring anything to the story: a potentially great idea that just got left hanging. 

Image credit: Salon.com

I also have to say that the character of the Grand High Witch was also a bout of weirdness. Anne Hathaway did the role well and was a diva no doubt, but I felt that there was no substance to her character, other than that she was the villain and had a pointless gimmick of being hard to understand due to her thick Eastern European accent. 

But, to give credit where it is due, the costumes and set designs were glorious and the transformation sequences of the children into animals as well as the ‘monster’ effects of the witches themselves were pretty cool. I get the feeling that Guillermo del Toro had a hand in that. 

But ultimately my main response the remake of The Witches was “why?” It’s a visually pretty film, but has no real substance; just empty calories. I’d recommend waiting until it comes onto a streaming service if you’re curious. 

Director: Robert Zemeckis, 2020

Cast: Anne Hathaway, Jahzir Bruno, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Codie-Lei Eastick, Kristen Chenoweth, & Chris Rock