Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 5/10
Cast: Octavia Spencer, Anne Hathaway, Chris Rock, Jahzir Bruno, Stanley Tucci, Brian Bovell, Joseph Zinvebma, Josette Simon, Jonathan Livingstone, Miranda Sarfo Peprah, Ashanti Prince-Asafo, Lunga Skosana, Vivienne Acheampong, Ken Nwosu, Arnaud Adrian, Charles Edwards, Morgana Robinson, Codie-Lei Eastwick, Sobowale Antonio Bamgbose, Orla O’Rourke, Eurdice El-Etr, Ana-Maria Maskell, Eugenia Caruso, Angus Wright, Cyril Nri.
To compare like with like is only human, and whilst art is not a competition, it cannot be dismissed when holding in your thoughts two versions of a much loved and admired source material to which both versions claim to be authentic and with the spirit of the author in their production.
Roald Dahl’s personal views may have been called into question in recent times in certain quarters, but there is arguably no doubting the absolute power he had as a creative force, his writing for children is unsurpassable and his prose, the sheer scale of his imagination is surely second to none in the English language.
It is therefore disappointing to see the normally stunningly creative Robert Zemeckis bring to the audience what can only be kindly described as a fair attempt at interpreting Mr. Dahl’s outstanding book, The Witches, and at worst, a version that didn’t need to be tackled at all.
There will be those who feel such attempts at re-invention offer little to cinema, that there is little to be explored in what is essentially a children’s story, however, for the most part, a different vision is to be welcomed, a more relatable experience for the modern viewer to be discovered, and at its heart an objective that is to be applauded for courage and honesty. Yet, the connection has to mean something, it has to have flair, a sense of uniqueness to it which sets it apart from any other version that may have come before.
In the dark fantasy, sometimes comedic, film written by Mr. Zemeckis, Kenya Barris and Guillermo de Toro, the uniqueness comes from its setting and sense of historical backing, rather than the way the film flows or the passion behind any of its characters; this is to be noted especially with the at times lacking in subtly or enjoyment that comes through in any of the main cast.
The trouble with The Witches does not come in the way it is offered, but that it neither adds anything to the canon of visual imagination, or that it has arguably a huge mountain to climb in comparison to the Nicholas Roeg directed 1990 original, and in that the struggle to be entertained, or even feeling the delicious chill which was intended.
Like with like never works out well, and whilst Anne Hathaway is a truly remarkable actor, the shadow of Angelica Huston looms large, whilst Stanley Tucci is imperious, Rowan Atkinson is perfect, and even in the use of puppetry, the legend of Jim Henson cannot be overruled, even under the probing eyes of Robert Zemeckis.
Taken on its own, The Witches would be a decent enough film, but the viewer’s confidence in it would be stretched even in good times. A good distraction, but unfortunately, that is as far as it goes.
Ian D. Hall