Stellead
Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful
CrawlerChunky
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
Chonesday
It's one of the most original films you'll likely see all year, which, depending on your threshold for certifiably crazy storylines, could be a rewarding experience or one that frustrates you.
Ezmae Chang
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
Lee Eisenberg
When the creator of "Sesame Street" and "The Muppets" joins forces with the director of "Walkabout" and "Don't Look Now" for an adaptation of a Roald Dahl book, you know that you're in for something neat. And "The Witches" is just that. While the emphasis is the boy trying to stop the sorceresses from turning England's children into mice, the movie really belongs to Anjelica Huston as the Grand High Witch. The sequences in the conference room and the restaurant have to be some of the coolest scenes ever put on film. I suspect that they had a lot of fun creating those effects. This is the perfect movie for Halloween. I understand that the movie changed a number of things from the book, but on its own this is one enjoyable movie. I recommend it.And now for the other cast members. Playing the hotel owner is Rowan Atkinson, whom we know as the well meaning but inept Mr. Bean. Brenda Blethyn (Bruno's mom) and Jane Horrocks (the Grand High Witch's assistant) later co-starred in "Little Voice", although Blethyn had a lead role in Mike Leigh's "Secrets and Lies".
SnoopyStyle
While on vacation in Norway visiting grandmother Helga, she tells young Luke Eveshim about the existence of real witches who hate children. As a child, she lost a friend to a witch who put her into a painting. His parents are killed and Helga takes him to England where she owns a house. They vacation at seaside Hotel Excelsior. There is also a convention for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children with Chairwoman Eva Ernst (Anjelica Huston). Hotel manager Mr. Stringer (Rowan Atkinson) has it in for Luke and his pet mice. While hiding in the ballroom, Luke spies that the convention is actually for witches and she intends to transform every child into a mouse. Luke and another boy get caught and changed into mice.The first 30 minutes have a bit too much to cover. There's no real need to start in Norway. The parents dying would be a great place to go darker but the movie doesn't spend much time on it. The movie finally sets up in the hotel. Huston is delicious as the Grand High Witch. It has the dark ugliness and some edgy fun. There is a tacked on happy ending to the story which doesn't make much sense.
Neil Welch
When Luke gets a bit too suspicious of a group of women (following his grandmother telling him tell-tale signs of witches pretending to be ordinary), he gets turned into a mouse. He and his grandmother try to foil the witches' plans.Roald Dahl's The Witches is a book for kids which is funny, exciting, fast moving, and scary. Nicolas Roeg's film adaptation captures these elements very well. It is NOT a film for timid children - there are some elements in it which are amusingly grotesque if you are adult, but which might give some children nightmares.But, most of all, this is very entertaining, with a powerhouse performance by Anjelica Huston. Great stuff.
mike48128
Rated "8" because the special effects are outstanding. Otherwise a solid "7" because it is a disturbingly scary film that should be rated PG-13. Also, the pacing is a bit off, as the last 30 minutes seems rushed. As an adult, I can appreciate the fantastic make-up on Angelica Huston as the Grand High Witch, but it is really too scary for little children. Jim Henson's Creature Shop's work is superb and Rowan Atkinson ("Mr. Bean") ineptly manages the hotel where the witches hold their convention. Luke and Bruno are turned into mice as a test for a magical formula meant to eradicate children around the entire world. The talking mice are amazing; animatronic puppets like the Doozers of Fraggle Rock. Please note that in Dahl's book, Luke does not become a real boy again. Luke remains a mouse and intends to do battle with the witches in America. In my Warner Bros. DVD release, the boy is returned to human form by the "good witch" at the very last moment which changes the film, making it more "kid-friendly". (I don't think that this is the original ending on the initial release of this film, after reading the critical reviews.) The make-up and special effects are outstanding for a movie made long before CGI. More fun to watch the second time around, as when the witches turn into mice it is truly startling but less disturbing! Angelica Huston's make-up and prosthetics are just deliciously scary!Especially recommended for all adult Jim Henson fans and children old enough to view "Harry Potter" movies. It was Henson's last film project before his untimely death. Great Halloween fun.
