The Witches

Following the death of his parents in a car accident, young Charlie (Jahzir Bruno) moves in with his grandmother Agatha (Octavia Spencer) in rural Alabama. When Charlie encounters a witch in a local store, Agatha reveals her knowledge of these child-hunting demons and takes him to a seaside hotel for safety. Their timing couldn't be worse—the Grand High Witch (Anne Hathaway) has gathered her international coven at the same hotel to unveil her plan: transforming all English children into mice using "Formula 86." When Charlie and another boy, Bruno (Codie-Lei Eastick), are turned into mice, they must work with Agatha and a mouse named Daisy (Kristin Chenoweth) to stop the witches and survive as rodents.

The film adheres to Roald Dahl's dark conclusion, where Charlie remains a mouse, contrasting the 1990 version's happy ending. A poignant conversation about his limited lifespan enhances the emotional depth. The adult Charlie, voiced by Chris Rock, envisions an army of mouse-children to combat witches, expanding Dahl's narrative. Octavia Spencer brings depth to Agatha, while Jahzir Bruno portrays Charlie with authenticity. Their dynamic feels realistic, unlike the typical child actor portrayal. Stanley Tucci adds charm as Mr. Stringer, and the choice to make the protagonists Black Americans in 1968 Alabama introduces meaningful subtext, including a comment on racial disparities in child welfare. Anne Hathaway's Grand High Witch contrasts with Anjelica Huston's portrayal, focusing on her supernatural traits. The film's visual effects, leveraging Unreal Engine, showcase major advancements in virtual production, further enhancing the storytelling experience.

Hathaway's portrayal in the film is polarizing, with her exaggerated accent undermining the character's menace and leading to a campy performance, especially during key moments. Unlike Huston's terrifying Grand High Witch, Hathaway's version lacks a cohesive tone, which is further disrupted by her exaggerated facial expressions that resemble pantomime. The film's reliance on CGI detracts from the horror, resulting in visually cartoonish elements that fail to create genuine tension. Additionally, the adult Charlie's voiceover is distracting and undermines the narrative by explaining obvious events, breaking immersion and leading to a lack of emotional engagement. The film struggles to find its identity between dark fairy tale and comedy, leading to missed opportunities to explore cultural dimensions of witchcraft. The 1990 film's memorable grotesque designs are replaced with interchangeable CGI figures, and critical social themes are introduced only to be abandoned, diluting the story's impact. Consequently, the film softens Dahl's original themes, which contributes to an overall lack of depth and darkness that defined the earlier adaptation.

A film with conflicting impulses, The Witches (2020) is both technically ambitious and emotionally conservative, visually stunning but narratively erratic. It should be commended for bringing back Dahl's unwavering conclusion and for the excellent work of Jahzir Bruno and Octavia Spencer. But in the end, it seems like a lost chance, forgoing true terror in favor of overdone spectacle and family-friendly accessibility.

This version provides a softer option for audiences who found the 1990 version too scary. The uneven tone and CGI sheen create distance where immersion is needed for those who are looking for the dark enchantment of Dahl's original vision. It is a respectable but superfluous remake that lives in the shadow of its predecessor without ever leaving it. It is neither humiliating nor necessary.

Staff:

Directed by: Robert Zemeckis

Written by: Robert Zemeckis, Kenya Barris, and Guillermo del Toro

Based on: The Witches by Roald Dahl

Produced by: Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke, Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón, and Luke Kelly

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, and Kristin Chenoweth.

Narrated by: Chris Rock

Cinematography: Don Burgess

Edited by: Jeremiah O'Driscoll and Ryan Chan

Music by: Alan Silvestri

Production companies: ImageMovers, Necropia Entertainment, Esperanto Filmoj, Double Dare You Productions, and The Roald Dahl Story Company

Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures

Release date: October 22, 2020

Running time: 104 minutes