Movie Thoughts: Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical (2022)

• Released: October 5, 2022
  
• Directed by: Matthew Warchus
• Running time: 1 h 57 min
• Rating 3/5

Synopsis

A talented girl named Matilda causes an uproar at her new school, which is led by the abusive principal Trunchbull. None of the other students dare to stand up to her, but Matilda's defiance might just be what they need to rise up again the principal.

My Thoughts

The famous earlier Matilda adaptation is one I'm quite familiar with and watched a lot in my childhood, having fond memories of it. So when this new version was announced I was a bit skeptical. Now that I've seen it, is it good or bad? Eh, I'd say...painfully average.

It's a musical this time around, but I couldn't give less of a shit for any of the songs. I'm in general not a musical person, this you might already know, and this is no exception. There are a rare few musicals I do genuinely enjoy, but this isn't one of them.

The movie in and of itself is...fine. I haven't read the book it's based on in years so I don't know if it's more accurate than the other adaptation, but as far as a movie goes this one is just subpar to the other one. There, everything felt more over the top and fun and camp and it was just a fun movie. This movie just feels like it's trying to fill those footsteps, but failing.

It's not bad per se, just fine. They made some changes (like Matilda this time being somewhat clairvoyant, aside from her telekinetic abilities) but I'm not sure all of them are for the better. The backstory behind Miss Honey's family was interesting and all, but it just feels so weird to have it be told by Matilda of all people. 

Honestly I think maybe it would've been better if this part of the movie was actually just a story she made up, showing her inventiveness and love for storytelling and reading. Right now we're thinking she's an great storyteller, but in reality she's just telling something that really happened which she knows through her sixth sense. Kind of makes her feel like less of a competent storyteller and just weirdly psychic with no real reason to it. There's very little payoff to her being able to know this information other than the scene where she realizes they're related to Miss Honey, which could've been delivered in a different way without taking away from Matilda as a storyteller.

Another flaw is that there's just no teachers at the Trunchbull's school aside from Honey whatsoever. I get that it's a campy musical but there still should be some logic to this world. No school can run on just one teacher and one principal and this is never explained or addressed. 

The Trunchbull in this movie also felt a bit underplayed compared to the one in the other Matilda adaptation if you ask me. She isn't as fun or large and muscular, plus I think she came across as a bit too old for the role. Also her defeat was rather underwhelming, compared to the other adaptation where Matilda doesn't just chase her out of the school but also her literal house, which was always my favorite scene.

Finally, I don't like how Matilda learns how to control her powers pretty much instantly. She figures them out on accident, which I can buy, but it's all way too coordinated and near-perfect from the start. Mara Wilson-Matilda had to actively work to hone her skills, this Matilda just has them under control within a few moments which just doesn't feel realistic and a bit too overpowered. I can buy her having these supernatural abilities, obviously, but she should have to work to hone them. Nobody is just a professional at something they're trying for the first time in a few attempts. Especially since Matilda already excels at so many other things, it'd make her feel less overpowered and more real if she still had to learn some things without instantly being a pro at them.

Some positive things: I do like the actors in general (they do a good job, the child actors were fine too) and a special shout-out goes to this Miss Honey and Mrs. Phelps for being really enjoyable each time they were on screen. 

But that's really it. It's not a bad movie, but it has quite a few more flaws when compared to the other adaptation I grew up with. Is this nostalgia? Maybe, but if I can also describe with arguments why I think that one is objectively a better adaptation, I'd say there's more than just nostalgia at play.