Film Review: The Witches

Title: The Witches

Director: Nicolas Roeg

Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

Cast: Anjelica Huston, Mai Zetterling, Jasen Fisher, Rowan Atkinson

Synopsis: A young boy stumbles onto a witch convention and must stop them, even after he has been turned into a mouse. (via IMDB.com)

Official Trailer

Being it is October, and Halloween caps off the month, it is traditionally a good time to watch some horror films. I watched Green Room, which was, undoubtably, a horror film, and enjoyed it, and decided that the next day I would watch something else that would be considered quite spooky. While searching through the depths of the Amazon Prime collection, I came across this film, The Witches, which is something that I was planning on seeing now for some time. What better of a time to watch this? I said to myself. I knew it was more so oriented towards children, but I had heard a lot of good things. In the end, I'm glad I took the dive. The film wasn't as spectacular as I think it could have been; I think it left a lot of potential on the table, but it was still an enjoyable experience with some memorable moments.

The film follows a young boy who joins a former witch-hunter turned Grandma turned Guardian on a little vacation to a seaside resort. Of course, also being held here is a convention, led by Anjelica Houston, that aimed to fight for the safety of children. In fact, they are witches, and want to get rid of every child in England. The boy must stop them, even though he is turned into a mouse through their magic potion.

The first thing that stood out to me after my initial viewing was without a doubt the makeup and special effects. Usually, witches are thought of as beautiful, and even a bit elegant. We see one early in the film attempt to kidnap the young lead, played by Jasen Fisher, but he is wise enough to decline her temptations. However, once behind closed doors, the witches let out their true appearance. Disgusting, rotten-looking individuals, these witches and their appearance make for a great spectacle for the viewer. Anjelica Huston's character, the Grand High Witch, had makeup that particularly impressive.

When you look in the mirror while tripping on LSD

Another thing that popped out to me was that I thought the beginning of the film was actually a bit spooky. This film is aimed for children, no doubt, as it puts a more fantasy-like setting to the screen. The children are turned into mice, and the mice are adorable and can talk. But the beginning sets up the series of events with a spooky story from the Grandmother, played by Mai Zetterling. Something about the setting, an English town that still felt very old, even in somewhat modern times, added to this. We find a story about a young girl going missing, and ending up the family's painting, where she would move around the landscape. Zetterling's dialogue gave enough of an effect that maybe these people are something we should be wary of. It all has a spooky feeling, and with the fall breeze coming through my windows, I particularly enjoyed it.

The story itself is.... Okay. I think the story is where it suffers the most, not because it's not good; it is good. But it's also not that impressive either. There are a lot of things that go on in this story, which I walk talk about in the Spoilers section (be warned!) particularly, that just don't seem believable or theoretical, and that is with the knowledge that we are viewing a film about witches who turn children into mice. A lot of things happen that go unanswered. A lot of things happen that really don't make sense, given the story. In the end, I don't think a kid will particularly care. However, I'm reviewing this as someone who has seen a multitude of films in the recent past, and in the end, I don't find it all that impressive.

The acting itself is very good, especially Huston, Zetterling, and then Rowan Atkinson, who is known mostly for his role as Mr. Bean. He adds some nice humor in there to break up some of the supposed tension. The child actor, Jasen Fisher, wasn't all that bad. Child actors are a dime a dozen, and none of them are truly amazing. The reason Stranger Things, the series on Netflix, is so successful is that the child actors are top notch. The same goes for classic films such as The Sandlot, Stand By Me, and more. Fisher is good... But he does nothing to push the film over the top. There is nothing he does that goes above and beyond what the role implies, but he still plays it well and I commend him for that. Then again, this was made in 1990, and I can't remember the last time I've seen a Jasen Fisher film. He was Ace in the movie Hook. He only has three credits to his name. That's no knock, I'm just saying is all.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

You've been warned.

I wanted to go back to some of the issues I had with the story. If the story isn't sound, then the movie will suffer. It's that simple. Again, I know this was made for kids to enjoy, and for kids to watch. But, it is what it is. The first main issue I have is what can be considered the big kick-off to the madness in the hotel. They find Luke hiding in the convention after he's seen and heard about all the plans. He makes a mad dash away from them, eventually escaping and returning to the hotel room of his Grandma, who was knocked out by the Grand High Witch. Luke returns into the hotel, apparently with no problem although there are nearly a hundred witches currently staying in the hotel, and gets to his Grandma. She's knocked out still. The Grand High Witch laughs about it, and then turns him into a mouse. Look... The big problem I have with this is not that he made it back to his Grandma, and not that he turned into a mouse when caught, but that the Grand High Witch was simply content with having the Grandma be knocked out for 24 hours. Earlier in the film, while off-screen, Luke's parents die in an accident. You wonder if it is an accident, but that's besides the point. Death is prominent in this film. Witches die. So, while I get the Grandma is important, why would Huston's character not take out the woman she considers an old enemy? It doesn't make sense. The writer should have gone a different route with how the Grandma was not able to defend her boy. Not just that she was really tired. These are things that are definitely on my part, but they definitely took me away from the story.

There were a lot of scenes in this film that were simply boring, like the whole scene in the kitchen. I get what they're trying to do here, of course. They want to put the potion in the soup. However, it goes on for so long, and so much unnecessary things happen, that I just grow bored of the whole situation. It's just not needed. Really not much to say here about the spoilers. Like yeah, of course Luke finds a briefcase full of cash. Why not? That was so unneeded. I like how they set it up for a sequel though. Good on you, writers! Earn those paychecks!

**SPOILERS END**

Welcome back! As usual, scroll all the way down. You want to avoid these spoilers.

The Witches is a nice blast to the 1990's film scene, and does a good job of bringing renowned author Roald Dahl's work to life. He was rumored to be really pleased with Anjelica Huston's cast, and I can't help but agree. She was fantastic in her role, and I don't know who else could do it better. The acting and the special effects were there, as was the ability to still give a bit of a spook to the viewer even though it is rated P.G. However, I think that what it has in effects, it lacks in story. The story is just a bit too jumbled, and a bit too redundant, for my liking.

Positives:

• Excellent makeup design, especially with the main antagonist that definitely creeps you out.
• Does a good job building up a spooky environment; beginning of the film is a bit creepy.
• Anjelica Huston was born for the role and delivers one of her best performances.

Negatives:

• The story is lacking in creativity; too many things happen that could be avoided.
• Fisher, while good, doesn't add anything to his character. He's your average young lead.
• Not enough Mr. Bean. That guy is electric!

High Verdict: If you like to get stoned because you think it makes you feel like a kid again, then this is a good film for you. If not... I'd avoid. There is nothing here that makes it a must-watch when you're baked. Maybe you'll forget all about the holes in the story, though. Slight uptick to the rating if you watch it under the influence of bud.

Final Verdict: 6.5/10 - If you have kids, like 8-12, this is perfect for them. Enough scary stuff to get them thinking about the Halloween season, but it's still very kid-friendly. If you watch it alone, or with other adults, try your best to avoid watching it with such a critical viewpoint. It's just there for the cool effects and the witch theme.

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Hey everyone, just a quick note. This is from one of the other blogs I tried doing with a friend of mine, but I wanted to put it here so I can get everything in one place. I hope you enjoy. This film wasn't too shabby at all, but it really wasn't for me.