Spirited adaptation of Roald Dahl’s 1983 novel moves the setting from Europe to late-1960s Alabama as narrator Chris Rock recounts events from his childhood when he (Jahzir Bruno) and his loving grandmother (Octavia Spencer) accidentally discovered that the world’s Grand High Witch (Anne Hathaway) had hatched a scheme to turn vast numbers of children into mice and set out to thwart the nefarious plan. Director and co-writer Robert Zemeckis’ dark comic fantasy is too intense for little kids and, though problematic elements are mostly absent, older ones may need guidance in sorting through grandma’s combination of wise Christian faith and white sorcery. While the pace eventually flags, Dahl’s wry wit continues to shine through in flashes. Occult material, mature themes, including the death of parents, mild scatological and anatomical humor, a single crass term. The Catholic News Service classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
The Witches
