I will definitely watch it, but I will be shocked if it is as good as the original. Love that movie.
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Robert Zemeckis' The Witches skipping theaters, will premiere October 22 on HBO Max
- Thread starter KoolAid
- Start date
lol yeah, the original was slightly less scary than the book, which was "roald Dahl scary," aka "this is kind of weird."
Y'know...I'm starting to believe Anne Hathaway is not a very good actress...this doesn't look half as good as the original or the book...
Damn, never knew that I needed an orchestral version of I'll Be There before now.
It's a kids movie with very fun effects that can be considered scary for children. It's definitely a fun movie as well.
The brilliance of his writing was not shying away from the dark stuff. Very good for instilling a sense of right and wrong.
Not wanting to spoil, but do you think this version will commit to the book's ending? Can't blame the original movie shying away from it because that is some heavy shit.
Hmm as a remake then it's even more unlikely.
I wonder if the scary version has ever been released, or the ending he filmed to keep Roald Dahl happy but didn't use.
"Director Nicolas Roeg later edited out scenes he thought he would be too scary for children after seeing his young son's reaction to the original cut"
Looks god awful and charmless from the trailer at least. Loved the original but this seems like it is trying to remake the old movie instead of giving it a new take.
The original was great, but has such a weird feel to it. I remember going to the cinema to see it when it released and thinking it was an older movie from the 70s or something with all the stuff filmed in Norway.
I remember this movie creeping me out as a kid, mostly because in most movies the bad guy doesn't really seem to want to hurt or kill children. In this movie the witches were definitely about that kid murder and actively tried. The whole movie felt hopeless for the kids.
If a late 80s/early 90s movie wouldn't commit, a modern adaptation will steer as far away as possible.
My ideal adaptation would be Laika-style stop motion. Could go all out with grandma's folk tale terrors and the gnarly transformations
The original had 100% on rotten tomatoes, but in the last month have been a few reviews added that call it rotten and it is now below 100%.
Wtf, is this damage control for the new movie?
Wtf, is this damage control for the new movie?
It wasnt scary scary but even now it has a magical off kilter and very unsettling feeling that kids films these days lack.
That scene where they chase him onto the beach and push that baby down the hill is masterful. Just pure high tension.
let's remember the other kid that got turned into a mouse in the original and the fact that he was if nothing else possibly happier as a mouse and largely didn't give a fuck. That kid was fucking great, I hope he stayed a mouse in the movie for his sake.
Roald Dahl was causing trouble so they filmed two endings, Dahl was in tears when he saw the original ending from the book.
The people at RT usually add old reviews for old movies themselves at any time.
A new adaptation of The Witches?
That's...great! Hahahaha I'm so excited to support this by watching it! I'm not presently having nightmare memories about my child self reading the original book compete with its PTSD-inducing illustrations by Quentin Blake and to a lesser extent the subsequent Anjelica Huston vehicle at all! I definitely didn't view all Karen-aged women with suspicion until I was like 13 because even though I knew witches were totally fictional and didn't exist I had a vivid imagination and exactly the kind of precocious demeanor that would make me a prime witch target. That would be super irrational!
The story in the book about the girl in the painting was fucking chilling. Can't wait for this!
That's...great! Hahahaha I'm so excited to support this by watching it! I'm not presently having nightmare memories about my child self reading the original book compete with its PTSD-inducing illustrations by Quentin Blake and to a lesser extent the subsequent Anjelica Huston vehicle at all! I definitely didn't view all Karen-aged women with suspicion until I was like 13 because even though I knew witches were totally fictional and didn't exist I had a vivid imagination and exactly the kind of precocious demeanor that would make me a prime witch target. That would be super irrational!
The story in the book about the girl in the painting was fucking chilling. Can't wait for this!
Maybe my old is showing, but this is a new adaptation of an existing story. NOT a remake of an existing movie.
Despite popular belief, not everything is a remake. My blood was boiling everytime someone referred to "Dredd" as a remake, to offer a prime example.
Despite popular belief, not everything is a remake. My blood was boiling everytime someone referred to "Dredd" as a remake, to offer a prime example.
Well... I'd say that depends on if they keep the movie's ending or not.
I'll watch anything with Octavia Spencer-but man the cartoony CG is really bad here.
PERFECTLY put!
Would be good to see an actual good adaptation of it, the original film has not aged well (not that it was particularly good in the first place).
I enjoyed Flight and Allied, and love Del Toro, so I'm optimistic for this after the trailer. I love the original book, and really liked the movie despite them taking some of the teeth out of the ending (and frankly... it's not that dark an ending *really*). The movie had a hollywood ending. The book had an ending where the good guys won, but not without some cost.
Obviously, the Henson work in the original wasn't going to be topped here, which will hurt the witches and the transformations, but the mice will certainly be better in this one.
Obviously, the Henson work in the original wasn't going to be topped here, which will hurt the witches and the transformations, but the mice will certainly be better in this one.
The original was a favourite as a kid, but revisiting it recently was rough. While Anjelica Houston and Rowan Atkinson are amazing and the SFX just bonkers, the rest is an average TV movie. Its worst crime is having child actors that are annoying as fuck and can't act be front and center.
This version looks good outside some weird CG jank. Hathaway looks amazing and Octavia Spencer and the kid are more likeable in that trailer than their counterparts in the full original movie.
With Zemeckis directing and Del Toro writing I was hoping it would lean into how dark the novel is, but the trailer looks like they're not even doing the book ending.
This version looks good outside some weird CG jank. Hathaway looks amazing and Octavia Spencer and the kid are more likeable in that trailer than their counterparts in the full original movie.
With Zemeckis directing and Del Toro writing I was hoping it would lean into how dark the novel is, but the trailer looks like they're not even doing the book ending.
But Chris Rock is narrating as an older version of the kid...so how can it be using the books ending?
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For whatever reason, the scene in the original with the father arguing over soup stuck with me more than anything else.
"I don't want cress soup. I don't like cress soup. I want cock-a-leekie soup."
"I don't want cress soup. I don't like cress soup. I want cock-a-leekie soup."
Just rewatched the original. Fuck it's aged like a fine wine. The puppetry/makeup effects in particular look so damn good still. It just has such a unique tone and style. Expecting a shitshow from Zemeckis.
Saw the trailer for this and all it did was remind me how good the effects were in the original.
I just watched it, don't think I ever actually watched it as a kid. Quite well made. Incredibly effective at evoking dread in the kid-oriented setting.
Just watched it, wasn't a fan. The CGI is *dogshit* and it lacks the intensity of the original. Hathaway and Spencer were good but the material gave them very little.
The CGI and narration bothered me but my daughter enjoyed it. I wonder what Dahl would think of this since it does have a slightly darker tone than the original movie. He hated the original film due to adding a character and changing the ending. This version was average but entertaining. The original is still better thanks to puppetry, mysticism and better tension.