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Matilda: The Musical (2022)
An Honest Review DeVito's OG Vs 2022
Let's face it. Nostalgia clouds our judgement here, for those who grew up on Danny DeVito's Matilda. It's easy to write this movie off as bad when looking through rose tinted glasses.
Truth is, this movie is much better than it has any right to be- from a production level and as a vision seen through to artistic realization. It's clear this movie was a labor of love, and not a cash grab. To that degree, you have to respect their ambition. I can easily see new-comers to the Matilda story potentially preferring this version of the story over Devito's, it does have it's own strengths. But this version is not the superior version of the film.
In my opinion, it's just not as effective. This feels less like the nitty-gritty and nuanced portrayal of the Matilda-verse of the original movie, and more like a Disneyification of the story. With sanded edges, an immaculate attentiveness to 'perfection', and cheesy songs that are used as stand-in replacement for character development. It's entertaining, it's fun, but it's overly polished.
The original Matilda, by contrast, benefits from the rough edges. It LIVES in the rough edges, unashamedly using those imperfections as part of it's charm. The gritty, unpolished, realism of the old Matilda complemented the themes of the story perfectly- celebrating the quirkiness of personalities and the artistic qualities of film as a medium, tying the two together into a powerful visual-metaphor with a complementary story. The new Matilda just does not capture that magic, that feeling. Instead, it feels like a Wes Anderson film where all of the attention went into being aesthetically pleasing, where as DeVito's version leaned into being aesthetically emotionally effective. And that's really the key difference between the two versions of the film- one focuses on the relationships and the emotional journey of the viewer, and the other (the newer) focuses on the production value and formalist design.
Let's dig deeper into that.
In the original Matilda, we learn about and care for the characters through nothing but subtle dialogue choices and direction choices; the way certain characters speak and treat each other, learning about how their families at home run, having the characters have common struggles and interests that unite their interest in each other- it's all done subtly and respects the audience to be emotionally intelligent enough to piece these characters together layer by later. There are no songs telling us how the characters feel, we have to observe them and their story and deduce their feelings- and in doing so, immerse ourselves into their story and learn to empathize and relate to their struggles. That's the true beauty of the story of Matilda, and it's something DeVito clearly understands about the source material. It's a film that understands the importance of being emotionally evocative, and how those types of film can be so formative to the audience, who for all DeVito knows could be a child whose family is as neglectful as Matilda's- a child who could see such a film and feel some sense of hope, or love, or at least for a second not feel alone. DeVito's Matilda is a world in which we want to reach out and give the characters a hug, to punch the school master ourselves, and to spend time with these characters and see them grow.
Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical does not understand this relationship or it's importance. Instead, it removes all of the scenes between Ms. Honey and Matilda in which they actually grow and bond- it removes most of the scenes and interactions between Matilda and her parents and cheapens the impact of their sad but complex relationships. It ruins the impact of the Bruce cake eating scene, or of the Pokey. It removes our ability empathize with the other children. And it rushes to a conclusion that thematically doesn't do the story justice the way DeVito's does. It doesn't feel like this is a movie where the director had as much of an understanding of the source material or how to convey it's themes without expository songs. Instead of us seeing the events our characters go through that motivate their arcs- their developments and struggles and their choices behind overcoming those obstacles- we are spoon fed them with songs. Matilda sings the same few lines over and over, doing cartwheels down the hallway as her parents act like cardboard cutouts. We learn very little about the characters and how/why they feel the way they do through these songs, instead they seem to just take away any time that could have better been used exploring the characters, the world, and their relationships to each other. Had these songs been done in a way in which they were able to surpass DeVito's emotional storytelling, this film would be closer to being the best version. But it doesn't. These songs remove and ruin the emotion behind the story and it's themes, not add to it.
This movie is far better than it has any right to be. But it is not the best version of the story for those of us who are already familiar with DeVito's version. It's mostly disappointing if you loved the original. However, if you are a newcomer to Matilda, a kid perhaps growing up right now and with no familiarity of the older version- you're probably going to really enjoy the film. It still has the baseline of the story baked in, it's heavily entertaining, and it's got an incredible visual style. It's just unfortunately watered down on the parts that don't really make sense to water down in a story like Matilda.
I'd give it a 6/10 because I respect the artistry that went into the film- it's not a BAD film. Nothing about the movie is really "bad". But while the other Matilda was less polished, it had 10x the heart and 10x the charm- and for that reason, I cannot give this version a higher score.
Nobody (2021)
Meaningless version of taxi driver
Where Taxi Driver purposely puts us in the mind and fragile psyche of a person on the fridge of society, an masterfully makes us both empathize with and villify it's characters motivations- this movie fails to do any of that. We clearly see the Taxi Driver sees himself as a hero but we see him as a misguided and unfortunate villain.
Why is that important you may ask? Taxi Driver knew what it was doing and was genius in it's multidimensional portrayal of someone slipping into mental insanity and vigilante justice. Relatable to Americans who live in a culture of mass shootings. Nobody doesn't seem to have anything smart to say, instead opting for a high octane ride where our vigilante is painted as a hero for murdering countless people because they annoyed him. No thought about his actions or it's various side effects for the people who he comes in contact with. All this film really does is make the idea of killing people you don't like sound 'cool'.
Technically, the shots are well done and the acting is fine. It's plenty entertaining, but it's more of the same vigilante film we have been seeing rise to popularity lately except it has no interest in saying something meaningful.
My advice? Skip this movie and watch Taxi Driver instead. No film has even come close to it's portrayal of vigilantism with such depth.
Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)
Drink any time there is slow motion
A solid 5-6 the entire 4 hour duration. Numerous moments where the characters motivations felt poorly written, and the acting is often so full and emotionless it feels like they are just reading the script. This movie is entertaining, and an embodiment of blockbuster franchise films. They cram in as much fan service and unnecessary action that rarely pushes the plot forward as possible, just to go for 'shock' and 'wow' factor. If you like The Avengers then you'll like this as well, they are almost carbon copies with the exception being this film is rated R (for no justifiable reason other than to add more shock). A few moments I literally gasped with how rediculous our heroes choices are.
It could be much worse, there are some pretty shots but that's about the highest complement I can give it.
At least 1 hour of the 4 hours are just slow motion shots of action scenes or people walking. I actually recommend turning the film into a drinking game, where you drink any time there is a slow motion scene.
Take it for what it is. Big budget fan service. Don't expect much logic, don't expect fully developed characters. Do expect about 1 hour of slow motion.
Merlin: Beauty and the Beast (2009)
Would give this episode a 0 if I could
Seriously, the show has been okay so far up until this point. A bit cheesy and a bit predictable, but not bad.
These 2 episodes however are just horrible. Cheap shots at fart jokes, repulsive ideas, and terrible acting.
Out of all episodes to make a two parter, WHY THIS? Any of the other episodes would have made for a better two part adventure. I can't believe they wrote this without cringing, it was hard for me to watch. I only made it through the next episode by force.