The Witches is a fantasy/dark comedy based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name. In 1968 a young boy, Hero Boy(Jahzir Kadeem Bruno), goes to live with his grandmother, Grandma(Octavia Spencer), in Alabama after the tragic death of his parents. After encountering a witch at the local general store the two go to hide out at a nearby hotel. Unfortunately the hotel is hosting an anti-child cruelty convention at the same time which is in fact a cover for the yearly witch gathering headed by the Grand High Witch herself(Anne Hathaway).
Bruno shows natural talent and exceptional ease on screen, using his charm and emotion to ground the story but also able to play up the more horrific/comedic/absurd notes. Spencer, as always, is a delight, the beating real heart of the film, able to fluidly move through the various tones and moods so nothing is discordant, a significant challenge given the material. Her performance is especially impressive given a majority of her scenes are with CG animals. Hathaway as the extremely over-the-top thickly accented GHW is fun but not particularly inspired especially, and perhaps unfairly, with the inevitable comparison to Angelica Huston who played the same roll in the 1990 incarnation with more menace and relish. The supporting cast are all decent but no one really floats to the top, not a surprise, given the pacing is relatively(and justly) clipped and any spare time for character development is given to Bruno and Spencer.
A wonderful soundtrack and immaculate production design create a wonderful world for the story but writer/director Robert Zemeckis bizarre fixation with CGI and trudging through the uncanny valley significantly detracts from the experience particularly with regards to the CG animals and the witches aesthetic.
A solid cast, some intriguing ideas, and a mostly successful production make for decent entertainment but nothing that surprising. The biggest disappointment is that its potential is clear but it fails to meet it.
Currently streaming on HBOMax.
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