The Witches (2020)
Based on Roald Dahl's 1983 classic book 'The Witches', the story tells the scary, funny and imaginative tale of a seven year old boy who has a run in with some real life witches! (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Robert Zemeckis
Written By: Guillermo del Toro, Robert Zemeckis, Roald Dahl, Kenya Barris
Starring: Stanley Tucci, Chris Rock, Octavia Spencer, Anne Hathaway, Kristin Chenoweth, Jahzir Bruno, Codie-Lei Eastick
Genres: Comedy, Family/Kids, Fantasy, Adventure
AKA:
Country: USA
Where to Stream
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The Witches belongs to 4 collections
1. Based on a Book (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 21 stars)
2. Based On Novel (collaborative: moderated by tathiel - 7 stars)
3. Laptop (public: Jason212)
4. Mini Reviewed (public: Adds)
Browse the full list of collections
| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 4 |  |
Luna6ix | 76 57th |
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Not really different enough from the first adaptation in 1990 to justify adapting it again, but it's also not any worse. Hathaway is decent as the villain, but it's hard to compete with Angelica Huston.
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| 4 |  |
eCitizen | 25 12th |
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I never thought I'd see the beautiful Anne Hathaway dressed out as a creepy deformed 3 fingered freak with a Joker face smile and gross lesions all over her head. It is a rather awful children's movie and even worse for adults. It became intolerable at roughly halfway. Not worthwhile, but it was slightly amusing for the few minutes I was able to tolerate it.
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| 3 |  |
Trash Puppet | 4 16th |
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Octavia Spencer is a god damn treasure, but this whole thing felt like it'd been cut down so that it'd get a U rating. Every time "danger" arose, nothing happened (*spoilers*obviously apart from the initial dead parents and mousening*spoilers*). I kept expecting some shit to go down, but it just didn't. Even at the end I expected them to cut back to "present" day and Chris Rock with his slideshow, but no. So much felt half done.
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| 3 |  |
aross | 25 21st |
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I should have started with the 1990 version, which I hadn't seen. After a slow start, this turns out to be quite unsettling for a family movie. It flirts with but is never actually scary. Overall it isn't bad, but I think it misses the mark enough that this one is safe to skip unless you really enjoy the book or want to see it.
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| 2 |  |
Vandelay1 | 10 5th |
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bad movie
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| 2 |  |
JLFM | 62 31st |
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Most of the stuff regarding the witches themselves is suitably scary and really fun. That goes double for Anne Hathaway, who is an absolute hoot in this. Stanley Tucci's a delight as well. Unfortunately, pretty much everything else ranges from casually dull to toe-curlingly poor (the first half-hour leading up to the hotel is particularly rough). That said, there are definitely pleasures to be had here, even if it ultimately falls well short of Roeg's 1990 original (or indeed Dahl's book).
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| 2 |  |
hotsake | 55 42nd |
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This wasn't terrible but it wasn't that good either. Too much stuff was added to the story which made the whole thing drag, especially during the first half. The CGI wasn't that good but that can be overlooked but Chris Rock was miscast in this and was more annoying than anything. If I want to rewatch this story I'll stick to the '90s version.
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| 2 | PUNQ | 50 78th |
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A hollow experience is what you get when cutting out its Norwegian roots. Still it was a spectacle to behold. Both Anne Hathaway & Octavia Spencer make the most out of what they're given and some of the effects were amusing. Doesn't quite work to the level it hopes, but one can lose oneself in the magic if you shut your critical urges off for a couple of hours.
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| 2 |  |
amazedemon | 64 50th |
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I enjoyed Zemeckis' take on the The Witches, despite it sacrificing the spirit of the 90's film & novel. I liked the direction, though the CGI lessens the novel's creepy aesthetic. Spencer & Bruno are great; Hathaway was awful. Rock's voiceover sounds comforting, but his additions bookending the plot felt pointless. It's a heavily Americanised retelling, with an added female mouse & some minor race-baiting characterisations, but at least they committed to their colourful vision & it's decent.
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| 1 |  |
LennyNero | 75 71st |
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Don't understand the critics here. Not enough political hot topics? The movie has a very strong first act, and it's scary enough for children (though not as scary as the first adaptation). Hathaway was good, but not as great as Anjelica Huston. Tucci's role was too small to stand out. Octavia Spencer infuses once again her character with her warmth and good acting (of course). Nothing bad to say about this movie, it's good. Isn't that enough?
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| 1 |  |
Freder | 0 1st |
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WHY?
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| 1 |  |
moraesfelipe | 60 49th |
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I'd have to rewatch the original to make a proper comparison. But I think this one seems pretty underrated. As far as family movies go -- specially outside Disney's franchises --, this feels with enough personality to please Zemeckis' fans as well as providing darkly funny entertainment for kids. First half is specially strong, with the convention scene looking great in spatial action and magic tricks. I just wished there was more room for Zemeckis' weird CGI stuff -- like claws bleeding black.
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| 1 |  |
zspyry | 2 5th |
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What the hell was this movie even trying to be.
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| 1 | DolphinSpurs | 85 65th |
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Robert Zemeckis does it again. His take on The Witches should join Willy Wonka and James and the Giant Peach as classic takes on Roald Dahl source material. Just the right amount of kid-friendly jokes and grown-up scares makes this a thoroughly enjoyable romp through the eternal struggle of children vs witches. Anne Hathaway's acting was hammy and a little over the top but Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci and Chris Rock were all excellent in their roles.
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| 1 |  |
chmul_cr0n | 47 14th |
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Looks about as digital as it is. Apparently they didn't like the creepy, yet quirky vibe of the 90s version, so they went for silly, yet dull instead. Hathaway was fun half the time Chenoweth was decent. Liked the music. Sort of. I really didn't notice it much. Which isn't really a good thing. But not a bad one, either. This movie really needs to be seen in a movie theater. Because otherwise you're gonna be easily distracted, because most things in a room are more interesting than this movie.
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| 1 |  |
Calabria | 71 17th |
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Why remake it but anne hathaway is solid as herself
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| 1 |  |
sopachuco13 | 80 62nd |
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I love the 1990 version of this film. There were things I liked about this movie but overall I thought it could have been better. I like that this movie took place in America. I thought that gave it something more relatable for me. Octavia Spencer is the standout performance in this movie. She was on fire throughout; tough yet loving. I liked that they didn't pull any punches with how creepy the story is. I was dissapointed with Hathaway and would have chosen differently.
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| 1 |  |
redflag | 90 57th |
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Octavia Spencer and Anne-Hathaway's teeth.
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| 1 |  |
Yiannos | 48 19th |
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Uninspired adaptation has better production values than Roeg's chintzy version, but it has less 'personality', and Hathaway isn't a patch on Huston. The digital effects also vary wildly in quality.
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| 1 |  |
Quintonjamin | 20 8th |
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Worse than the 1990 version in almost every way. The CGI used for the witches is pretty terrible and pales in comparison to the practical effects of the original. Even though she had no chance of being as good as Anjelica Huston, Anne Hathaway was pretty bad. Octavia Spencer and Stanley Tucci were the probably the best parts.
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| Average Percentile 22.13% from 218 Ratings |  |