The Witches Review

Most people don't have the time, money, or energy to watch a lot of movies, so when you do get a chance to watch something, you want it to be good. That's why Rotten Tomatoes exists: to give a snapshot of whether a movie is worth your time. But does it always work? I'll be watching all of Rotten Tomatoes’ Certified Fresh movies from this Wikipedia list starting in the year 1990, the decade I was born, and we'll see if these movies are really worth the hype.

Movie 17 of 1990:

The Witches, directed by Nicolas Roeg, surprised me. I was expecting a pretty mild kids' movie, but what I got was a pretty grotesque fantasy film. The main plot is about a young boy named Luke (Jasen Fisher) discovering a coven of witches staying at the hotel where he is on holiday. Hijinks ensue when he is found out and promptly turned into a mouse.

My favorite part of this movie was, of course, Angelica Huston as The Grand High Witch. She really gave it her all, just completely embodying this character. From the physicality to the vocal inflections, she always had the air of an otherworldly fantasy villain. She obviously looked fantastic as well. The costumes, the makeup, and the hair styling throughout were all on point.

All of the effects were really fun and impressive. This was a Jim Henson production, so puppetry was to be expected. I almost thought I read the opening credits wrong because the puppets didn't show up for quite a while into the film. Once they did, I thought they were wonderful.  Once Luke and his friend Bruno (Charlie Potter) are turned into mice, puppets are used to capture their interactions with each other. I far preferred these puppets to some of the more grotesque ones that can be found in certain Henson productions. I'm looking at you, Labyrinth.

One thing I rarely find too grotesque is excellent prosthetic and makeup effects. This movie showcased that in droves. All of the witches, when they are in their true forms, have rashes and welts that look quite realistic. The Grand High Witch's true form, however, was the star of the show. It must have taken hours and countless prosthetic effects to make that happen, and it really paid off. It's no wonder why this received a BAFTA nomination for Best Makeup.

My biggest complaint was that the story was pretty straightforward, but that can be forgiven because this is children's media, no matter how scary. This was adapted from a Roald Dahl book, and that is very apparent based on the content. Apparently, the endings differed, as in the book, Luke remains a mouse, but I think it's all right to give kids a happier ending. It felt tacked on, but didn't change my opinion on the film as a whole.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Is it worth the hype?:

The phenomenal effects and brilliant performance by Angelica Huston are reason enough to make this an enjoyable watch. This would have terrified me as a child. Give it a shot if you love a fun fantasy movie that you don't have to take too seriously.