‘Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical’ - London Film Festival Review
Matilda (1996) holds a very special place in people’s hearts. Regarded as one of the finest Roald Dahl film adaptations and a cult favourite among children who went to primary school in the UK between 2000 and 2010, the film has a passionate fanbase. The notion of a new version had sparked concern among said fans, but turns out they needn’t have worried. Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical is a bit of a romp.
Adapted from the recent hit stage musical adaption of the beloved Dahl novel, it’s an all singing, all dancing depiction of everyone’s favourite bookworm with a distaste for bullies and a penchant for moving objects with her mind.
When talking about this film, it’s hard to get away from the central performance of Alisha Weir in the titular role. It’s a hell of a responsibility for a young actor to carry a film in the way that this story requires, but Weir is more than up to the challenge. There’s a delightful cheekiness to her performance, not to mention a belting singing voice. The child performances in the film are faultless across the board, carrying out the song and dance sequences without a hitch.
However, as endearing and down-right cute as the kids are, they really have their thunder stolen by Emma Thompson, who is delightfully hissable as the infamous Miss Trunchbull. Thompson must have been starving when she turned up on set, because she absolutely ATE up this role. Hilarious and terrifying in equal measure, she steals pretty much every scene she’s in, managing to even sell throwing a girl by her pigtails convincingly.
Having not seen the stage version, I was curious to see how musical elements would play into the story. On the whole, they’re implemented really well. A fair critique of Tim Minchin’s songs is that they are all quite same-y. While recalling the film later, I’m struggling to tell certain songs apart, or remember the tune or melody of some others. But any deficiencies in the song writing are made up for in the performance of the numbers, which are fully of energy and throughly entertaining.
The visual aesthetics of the film are really impressive, in particular the set design, which blends stage show visuals with actual locations to great effect. The school manages to be both bright and full of colour, and grey and prison-like, depending on which mood a scene is calling for.
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical is sure to be a big hit with families this holiday season, taking all the beats of the classic story and reimagining them with exciting musical twists. Visually dynamic, with fun performances and vibrant, if slightly unmemorable songs, it’s a movie with a little something for everyone.