My Movie Review on Matilda (1996) · 6:24pm Nov 16th, 2019

Hiya, pals!

This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here, clocking in to show you guys another review.

Today, for my 8th "Thanksgiving Treat", I'm gonna be presenting to you guys my review on "Matilda (1996)".

Here's the summary of it:

Matilda is a bright and exquisite little girl who isn't like many others. However, she has been living in the household of her abusive family, the Wormwoods. They treat her so poorly because of how different she is compared to them.

When her father finally enrolls her in a school, Matilda finds herself having to deal with a cruel principal named Mrs. Trunchbull, who hates children and believes in creating order and discipline in the most extreme ways possible.

After discovering a newly found gift from within herself, Matilda decides that enough is enough and that it's time to fight back. Especially for her friends at school and her teacher, Mrs. Honey.

Will Matilda's efforts to deliver justice help make a difference? Or will it all be for nothing?

Normally, when I'm reviewing a film, I would often start with the positives the movie has before going to the negatives. For this movie, though, I'd like to start by noting the slight negatives it has.

To be honest, I didn't think this movie was something for pre-teens and under to see.

It's mainly because I felt that the cruel personalities of Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood, and Mrs. Trunchbull, were a little over-the-top. I'm not saying that I see the depictions of the three characters as too much of a problem, just that they don't make the film something appropriate for little ones to see.

It's main negative is the large amount of verbal and physical abuse inflicted on Matilda and the children at the Trunchbull School.

Despite this, though, the film was something that I found to have provided a terrifically great time!

The performances of the film's cast, the characters, and the character development were quite fun.

Their characters weren't the most likable people around, but Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, and Pam Ferris did a great job at portraying Matilda's parents and Agatha Trunchbull. In their own way, the three of them were able to make something fun, intriguing, and memorable out of their characters, and that's what I highly commend them for.

The screen presence of Mara and Embeth Davidtz as Matilda and Jennifer Honey were warmly welcoming. Each of them were able to lighten the film up like a torch in a cave, bringing such loving and innocent personalities to their characters. Wilson, I'd like to add, was born for the role of Matilda. I love how all two of their characters developed into stronger people who aren't afraid of doing what's right too.

The direction by Danny DeVito, and the screenplay by Nicholas Kazan and Robin Swicord, were clever with a capital 'C'. Now I've never read the actual book by Roald Dahl, but I can tell that the production team was passionately faithful to the original story, all the while incorporating their own creative flair.

I'm not sure how surprised anyone would be by DeVito's talents as a director more than an actor and comedian, but this film showcases his directing capabilities like that of an accomplished flip book. The comedic tone he incorporated was nonstop funny and full of wit, and the passion he had for the film aided it in being heartfelt and full of emotion. The parts where Matilda uses her powers to make objects move on their own were what I believed to be the most accomplished of moments.

The music score by David Newman was likewise a nice touch. I love how Newman aided the film in being engaging and full of heart, bringing passion to the music equal to that of DeVito's direction. The incorporation of Rusted Root's "Send Me On My Way" and Thurston Harris's "Little Bitty Pretty One" were entertaining too, especially because of how perfect they were for the moments they were played.

In the end, "Matilda" is certainly not a perfect film, but it's fun, witty, and absolutely worth adding to your film collection. It's something I highly recommend for teens and older in particular, that's for sure.

So, I rate "Matilda" 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.