Matilda is a magical film is enchanting, and delicious
Matilda The Musical is a new film on Netflix that has renewed my faith that a stage production can translate to a screen beautifully. This screen adaptation of a Broadway hit musical that was itself an interpretation of a movie based on a 1988 book by Ronald Dahl had a long road to get to the screen. (whew, that is a mouthful!) Starting as a trial run at the Royal Shakespeare Company in London in 2011 and transferring to the West End before debuting on Broadway in 2013. It took a further nine years for Matilda The Musical to finally get its chance on the big screen for a few weeks, then arriving on Netflix on Christmas Day. This movie is energetic, funny, and poignant. It will make you laugh and want to dance and then happy cry within minutes of each other. From beginning to end, it is a joy to watch.
Ronald Dhal has created some of the most beloved stories of the late 20th century, including James and the Giant Peach and the classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Matilda was written later in his life but still has the quirky charm and slightly dark edges of his early works. Of course, there are the familiar creepy characters and ridiculous plots with moments of pure joy and wonder that all of Dhal's writings envelope. But Matilda brings those ideas to a more modern era. This little girl's imagination will pull you into an engaging story full of delightful stories and strife.
The performances are all top-notch. Especially Emma Thompson's Head Schoolmistress is memorizing. I was a little concerned, as on the stage, the headmistress was traditionally played by a man in ridiculous costumes and big wigs, making her character completely over the top. Sometimes Hollywood's casting of shoving in a "big Star" into a film to bring in more of an audience often backfires spectacularly. In this case, Thompson's performance is well warranted, and the change is the standout of the entire film. She is hysterically funny in her evilness. You can't help but watch her every move. Not that the other performers aren't phenomenal too. Alisha Weir as Matilda is deliciously fun and makes you want to give her the biggest hug ever. Lashana Lynch's Miss Honey is perfectly sweet. (See how I did that!). Matilda's parents are wonderfully terrible, and the massive cast of children all have their own fantastic personalities making for a rich and wonderful complete picture.
The choreography is done by the original chorographers from the stage production and brilliantly transferred to the screen. The dances pop with energy and clever moves that is taking social media by storm. You can't help seeing the girl with the red beret spinning her way across TikTok. And no wonder they are absolutely enchanting and mesmerizing in their frenetic complexity. The sets are wonderfully done, making them feel right out of a children's book but real at the same time. And the costumes are phenomenal, too, with dark, drab gray and pops of color to emphasize moods and emotions.
It does take a moment to get into the film's speech as it is heavily accented English with high-voiced children, but after a moment, you slip into the movie's voice, and you are transferred into Matilda's fantastic imagination and her wonderful world. This is a delicious film that you can watch many times to find all the fun details and enjoy the romp through Ronald Dhal's vision brought to a musical spectacular. Matilda The Musical can be seen on Netflix right now.