Another remake. However, this one is coming from Warner Bros. instead of Disney. Also, it is a remake of a 90's childhood classic of mine and many other generations.
The 1990 version from influential director Nicolas Roeg terrified me every time as a kid. But there was something about it that made me go back to it numerous times. It may have been the thrilling pacing of the story, the memorable score by Stanley Myers or the well written characters? Whatever power it had to make it stay with me, I still enjoy it today and it has gained a solid following with many people from my generation having the same amount of love that I have for it.
When I heard Robert Zemeckis was at the helm for this, I was certainly intrigued to check it out. We all know that when Zemeckis is on top form, he can make timeless classics such as Forrest Gump and Back To The Future. Also, he is never afraid to experiment with technology. We have seen it work with Who Framed Roger Rabbit and partly succeed with A Christmas Carol and Beowulf.
However, I was also nervous as remakes have a low success rate for many reasons.
I was so disappointed with this that I almost got to the point where I was angry inside. The themes that the Roald Dahl novel covers such as death and loss are portrayed really well in the 1990 version, especially in the first act. It builds the layers up perfectly to understand the journey our main protagonists have taken to get to encountering the witches.
But this version just seems to almost totally ignore that and just make it a tame and sanitised version. It's almost as if it was afraid to add that adult touch and be genuinely scary. My feelings for this new version felt similar to when I saw Steven Spielberg's re-imagining of The BFG with the tone of a Tim Burton trip-off.
Even if this was the first movie portrayal, this would honestly still look middle-of-the-road and fairly forgettable.
Most of the performances were ok. Kid actors Jahzir Bruno and Codie-Lei Eastick both did a good job. Especially Eastick, who perfectly enhanced his characters personality.
Anne Hathaway I think fitted the tone well and had a memorable presence. There was a certain channeling of Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn's performances from another Zemeckis feature Death Becomes Her. Once you see that comparison, you cannot unsee it. Sometimes Hathaway could go a bit over board. But it felt restrained enough to not be annoying.
Stanley Tucci was perfectly fine and had great potential. But a lack of writing towards his character never made him become a memorable side character.
Octavia Spencer was thankfully the one bit of shining light for me in regards of the performances. Her character is supposed to have that caring and comforting presence, and she had that in abundance.
Also in this as a narrator is Chris Rock, and his distinctive voice does not at all fit the tone for me.
Most of the minor roles felt over-the-top to the point of annoyance. There were also some strange moments where it was clear to see that CGI was used to enlarge the person's eyes for certain reaction, like the dream sequences in Tim Burton's Big Eyes.
Even Alan Silvestri's score wasn't up to scratch. It had a strange mix of being ordinary or over-the-top in a scene when the music didn't need to be that grand.
But what does save the film from being a total disaster is its look and the way its shot. The production design is neat, the lavish and colorful costumes are pleasing to the eye and the cinematography has some nice sweeping tracking shots at the right time to enhance certain sequences when needed.
So by Zemeckis' standards, this is poor and I feel this is his worst feature to date. As a film, it's not terrible, it's just not that good. It gets solid points for its cinematography, neat production design, colorful costumes.
But while the 90's version captured the spirit and themes of the novel, this modern remake did everything at a surface level and definitely had that feeling of it being it run by a committee. The story lacked the layers and depth we know it has and they quickly go over important plot points that they could have expanded to at least make it worth your time.
For any parents reading, this is purely aimed at kids. So I'm sure they'll enjoy it. Beyond that, I cannot see anyone remembering this. If you honestly want them to have an exciting viewing experience, getting scared during the Halloween season so much it will stay with them forever, I would just watch the 1990 version.
Rating: 6/10
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