Roald Dahl's The Witches

2020 • 104 minutes

About this movie

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.

Ratings and reviews

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.

Not sure why the ratings are so low! Probably racist turds! As a 31 year old white mother, who grew up with Roald Dahl as a child...... l adore the original but this is a refreshing take on it. It isn't a desperate remake that copies the original for money. This version is fantastic. My kids enjoyed it and so did I. Definitely worth a watch. Still keeps to the novels premise and makes it relevant to our kids today. Edit: To the recent reviews: A) Your mindset makes this movie political. Sad.

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.