Roald Dahl's The Witches

PG

2020

1 hr. 45 min.

Fantasy

Adventure

Comedy

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List

49%

184 Reviews

Tomatometer

32%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In late 1967, a young orphaned boy goes to live with his loving grandma in the rural Alabama town of Demopolis. As the boy and his grandmother encounter some deceptively glamorous but thoroughly diabolical witches, she wisely whisks him away to a seaside resort. Regrettably, they arrive at precisely the same time that the world's Grand High Witch has gathered her fellow cronies from around the globe -- under cover -- to carry out her nefarious plans.

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Critics Consensus

The Witches misses a few spells, but Anne Hathaway's game performance might be enough to bewitch fans of this Roald Dahl tale.

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Jeff M

While not the fiasco I was anticipating, this is still a needless and uninspired remake of the brilliant 1990 original - and it pales by comparison in virtually every possible way. Possessing none of the charm and sophistication of Nicolas Roeg's version, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this year, this reminded me of one of those horrible DENNIS THE MENACE movies with its penchant for lowbrow laughs and generic characterizations. While not exactly a Hatha-hater, I admittedly have never caught on to the appeal of Hathaway, and she frankly can't hold a candle to Anjelica Huston's absolutely marvelous turn as the Grand High Witch. And I love Chris Rock as a comedian, but his narration here is a distraction. Overall, it lacks the beautiful fusion of fun and frights that the original had in abundance. I honestly can't understand why the filmmakers felt the need to remake this material in the first place. But isn't that the case for 99.9% of the remakes and sequels with which we're bombarded on a regular basis? It's watchable, but I don't foresee this becoming a Halloween tradition anytime soon.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/24

Full Review

Jamie S

This was a fun movie. With some elements better than the 1990 movie. I like the ending of the 1990 movie better even though this one is the same as the book

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/26/24

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Gertrude F

One of those movies you go into expecting something absurd, but so wonky that it turns out fun, The Witches checks that first box, but not the second. The CGI was absolutely traumatising, and the entire time my mind was repeating the phase: "What the HELL is going on?!" Despite this, the movie somehow manages to feel boring at the same time. Quite an impressive feat, if you ask me. The only two things stopping me from giving this movie the minimum stars were these: 1. a really funky song somewhere near the beginning of the movie ("It's Your Thing" by the Isley Brothers- seriously, this song is FUNKY-check it out) and 2. Anne Hathaway's go-all-the-way performance- I loved the accent. So um... I mean, its a good movie for those who have too much time.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/31/24

Full Review

Elvis D

Teniendo a Robert Zemeckis y a Guillermo Del Toro a cargo, se podría esperar mucho de esta adaptación, pero el resultado final es algo que se podría quizás esperar de Zemeckis, pero no tanto de Del Toro. La película está linda, pero se queda algo corta en comparación con la primera adaptación que produjo Jim Henson porque aquella versión era más tétrica y se tomaba más en serio. Esta otra adaptación tiene un tono más infantil, pero al menos la historia fue fiel al libro original. La Gran Bruja de Anne Hathaway es tétrica y su diseño recuerda a Mileena de Mortal Kombat, pero no es tan desagradable como el maquillaje de La Gran Bruja de Anjelica Huston. En niño protagonista y su abuela actúan bien, los efectos digitales son suaves y evidentes, pero los ratones hechos con CGI son bastante adorables. No es una película mala, solamente es decente y nada más eso se puede decir. Mi calificación para esta película es un 7/10.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/19/23

Full Review

Jason G

How in the world is this PG? The witches in this are scarier then most horror movies. Dont watch with kids younger then 13. Easily PG13 in my book and someone paid a lot of money to get that rating to PG. Movie is pretty boring for 1st half regardless.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/22/23

Full Review

Mu S

Tem um elenco incrível, mas é um desperdício de tempo, simplesmente horrível, é extremamente inferior ao original, além de piorarem as bruxas, antes elas davam medo e eram icônicas, nesse filme elas não são nada.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

09/28/23

Full Review

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Robert Zemeckis

Director

Anne Hathaway

Grand High Witch

Octavia Spencer

Grandma

Stanley Tucci

Mr. Stringer

Kristin Chenoweth

Daisy

Chris Rock

Older Hero Mouse

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The Witches: Trailer 1

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Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

ABC Radio (Australia)

The Witches is enormous fun, bringing new life to an old story

Rated: 3.5/5

Dec 18, 2020

Full Review

David Stratton

The Australian

With Stanley Tucci very amusing as the hotel manager and Spencer giving a wonderfully warm performance, the film is never less than engaging. The visual effects, some of them created in Melbourne, are excellent...

Rated: 3.5/5

Dec 16, 2020

Full Review

Jake Wilson

The Age (Australia)

Who could improve on the regal fury of Anjelica Huston?... Certainly not Anne Hathaway, whose performance in this remake, by comparison, has more than a tinge of the high school drama club.

Rated: 2.5/5

Dec 10, 2020

Full Review

LaNeysha Campbell

But Why Tho? A Geek Community

The Witches is a great new reimagined story based on Roald Dahl’s classic 1983 children’s book. The film has just the right amount of campy and creepy.

Rated: 9/10

Jan 16, 2023

Full Review

Victoria Luxford

City AM

a wickedly funny and stylish take on a childrens classic that conjures family fun with a typically dark Roald Dahl edge.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 26, 2022

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Most of the movie contains some measure of digital imagery that doesnt quite look right.

Rated: 1.5/4

Feb 17, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

In late 1967, a young orphaned boy goes to live with his loving grandma in the rural Alabama town of Demopolis. As the boy and his grandmother encounter some deceptively glamorous but thoroughly diabolical witches, she wisely whisks him away to a seaside resort. Regrettably, they arrive at precisely the same time that the world's Grand High Witch has gathered her fellow cronies from around the globe -- under cover -- to carry out her nefarious plans.

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Executive Producer: Jacqueline Levine, Marianne Jenkins, Michael Siegel, Gideon Simeloff, Cate Adams
Screenwriter: Robert Zemeckis, Kenya Barris, Guillermo del Toro
Production Co: The Jim Henson Company, Esperanto Filmoj, Warner Bros., Double Dare You, ImageMovers, Necropia Entertainment
Rating: PG (Scary Images/Moments|Language|Thematic Elements)
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 22, 2020
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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