Roald Dahl's The Witches

2020 • 104 minutes

À propos de ce film

Reimagining Roald Dahl's beloved story for a modern audience, Robert Zemeckis's visually innovative THE WITCHES tells the darkly humorous and heartwarming tale of a young orphaned boy (Bruno) who, in late 1967, goes to live with his loving Grandma (Spencer) in the rural Alabama town of Demopolis. The boy and his grandmother come across some deceptively glamorous but thoroughly diabolical witches, so Grandma wisely whisks our young hero away to an opulent seaside resort. Regrettably, they arrive at precisely the same time that the world's Grand High Witch (Hathaway) has gathered her fellow cronies from around the globe—undercover—to carry out her nefarious plans.

Notes et avis

Absolutely pathetic attempt to remake a classic. Ruins the story in favor of liberal pandering. The blackwashing would be fine if it didn't read like some bad southern caricature. I honestly couldn't get through more than half the movie without falling asleep. If race politics gives you a hard on then maybe this is the film for you, but if your after a good remake of a Roald Dahl classic. Your going to be more than sorely disappointed and confused.

Huston in the old version is impossible to beat, but this new version has merit, does not attempt a mere clone, has a more satisfying backstory and denouement and a much more interesting conclusion/coda than the original. That huge difference in the coda between the old and new films may generate the hate. The more conventional, saccharin, Hollywood "happy ending" of the old version may be preferred by some, but the new ending has a different, stranger, magic some kids would prefer.

Octavia Spencer saved this movie, however I wish I could say the same for Anne Hathaway the accent, performance and character design was just a tad cringe. I am a huge fan of the book and original screen play, though I did appreciate the playfulness of this adaptation it just fell flat in the storytelling of a creepy fairy tale. CGI should never be used as a short cut to great story telling.