Directed By Matthew Warchus

Starring – Alisha Weir, Emma Thompson, Lashana Lynch

The Plot – An extraordinary girl named Matilda (Weir) with a sharp mind and vivid imagination takes a daring stand to change her story, with miraculous results.

Rated PG for thematic elements, exaggerated bullying and some adult language

Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical | Official Trailer | Netflix – YouTube

POSITIVES

Warchus essentially calls upon the best elements of all worlds with regards to this respected property, channeling the imaginative captivity of the big screen, the pageantry and stylings of the stage, and of course the poignancy of the deep-seeded commentary, making for a dazzling showcase that demands to be seen on the silver screen. Most evident and appealing in this triple-tiered dynamic are the musical numbers, which are not only directly lifted from the stage show of the same name, but also performed live in-scene, a rarity among contemporary musicals. The songs themselves are tonally fun, yet lyrically deep in the aspects towards child abuse, hierarchy, and the overall monotony of elementary learning, mirroring similar imagery towards “Pink Floyd’s The Wall” in tow. This intentionally contradicting element between the lively emphasis of the music’s tone with the depravity of the themes instills a caustic wit that enhances the material twofold, and for the lively infectiousness of the ensemble, gives a free range on personality that they use to decorate the stage with. Speaking of decor, the production value all around is remarkable, but especially in the vivid expression of color from the set design and adventurous ambition of the special effects. The former fleshes out the illustrations and descriptions of Dahl’s original novel, transfixing us with bulbous colors, three-dimensional influence, and aspects like windowless classrooms that tell the story of the environments they illustrate. Likewise, the C.G effects work boldly breeds imaginative qualities, justifying the air of its contemporary rendering based entirely on the advancements of technology alone, which play wonderfully towards the anything is possible believability of Matilda representing the hope that these students wholeheartedly embrace. Matilda is played by 13-year-old Alisha Weir, whose compelling charisma and adventurous spirit play well towards the familiarity of the iconic character, but it’s her gifts to musical performance that easily sets her apart, taking her through a range of emotions that taps into the internal vulnerability of the character, despite her supernatural capabilities. Lashana Lynch is also a breath of fresh air, channeling the warmth and concern of a meaningful adult in a movie where there is exactly two of them. But it’s Emma Thompson who is the primary show-stealer, looking unrecognizable as the detestable Agatha, whom she effortlessly invokes the energy and audaciousness needed to carve out one legendary antagonist that will stick close to the memory of children experiencing her for the first time. Thompson isn’t associated with being this sinister in any film she’s in, so as such she’s up for the opportunity while investing her every all to the physicality of the depiction, proving herself to still be a captivating presence on-screen, even when we seamlessly forget that it’s even her in the first place.

NEGATIVES

While I do actually feel that this is a film that succeeds its 1995 original, there are still a couple of glaring problems that fully keep it from reaching the air of its potential. The first is in the depiction of the children outside of Matilda, which are every bit as reckless and monstrous as our antagonist describes them to be. This is a problem because we the audience are meant to empathize with the bleak and prejudicial circumstances of their situations, especially as being victims to mental and physical child abuse. However, a lot of their movements and motivations allude to the idea that Agatha, while extensive in her punishments, may in fact have a point, as these children feel like the living embodiment of a boisterously loud and painful headache. In addition to this, I feel that tonally the film is right in line with where Roald Dahl resided in conjuring kids’ novels with adult kind of stakes and circumstances. However, the thickness of the tone itself I feel will become problematic and especially testing to kids’ audiences who were promised one thing with the advertisements, then delivered on another in reality. There is momentary levity throughout the engagement, mainly in the depravity of its adult characters, but I feel like it’s not enough to keep the attention of its childlike audience, in turn undercutting the interests of the single biggest demographic that will inevitably seek out this movie. And finally, while the film maintains an entertaining quality throughout the engagement, the 112-minute run time is a bit bloated in its rendering, leading to moments of stalled and straineous pacing, particularly during the film’s second half. This will once more provide taxing for child audiences, but even for someone like me who appreciates slowburn movies than most, I found myself pacing by the sedated movements during the climax of the story, in turn making me wish for a fifteen-minute shorter run time with a few less songs conveying the same feelings and themes that were previously sifted through with other performances.

OVERALL
“Matilda the Musical” follows the trail blazed fantastically by its nostalgic predecessor, in that it’s a wondrously imaginative and surprisingly chipper adaptation of a darkly brooding story, this time with infectiously addicting musical numbers to add to the appeal. Though the film is too long for childlike audiences at nearly two hours, and the kids depicted don’t exactly warrant the same concerning empathy as those previously, the film is still a charming and exuberant thrill-ride, with towering chocolate cake for such an occasion.

My Grade: 7/10 or B