Photo credits: Dan Smith / Netflix
Danny DeVito already made a good attempt in 1996 (his Matilda can be found on Netflix and HBO Max), but Matilda the Musical shows that there is room for another film version of Roald Dahl’s famous children’s book, about the hyper-intelligent Matilda, who discovers she has telekinetic powers.
It actually is Matilda the Musical an adaptation of an adaptation, taken from the English musical of the same name, which has been sold out in London for twelve years now. The story has already been slightly modified. For example, Matilda Wurmhout (Alisha Weir) is an only child here; a very unwanted accident. For Mrs Wormwood (Andrea Riseborough, Bird man) his birth comes as an extremely unpleasant surprise. Father Absinthe (Stephen Graham, Time) had just had a baby boy and continues to call Matilda ‘son’. It should be clear: Matilda shouldn’t expect much love and affection from her parents.
Matilda’s extraordinary talents go completely unnoticed at home until she meets Miss Angel (Lashana Lynch, There is no time to die, Captain Marvel) encounter. Unfortunately, Miss Honey also finds herself under the yoke of the school’s tyrannical principal, Mrs. Trunchbull (Emma Thompson!), who dreams of the day when all children will be wiped off the face of the earth (that Trunchbull was once a girl is something will never stop denying).
Regisser Matthew Warchus (Pride) gives us a smooth cinematic take, with energetic songs keeping the momentum going. But the main reason for this Matilda in the foreground is Emma Thompson. In the stage version, the role is played by a man, but Thompson takes her character, full of devotion and obvious pleasure, to the next level. Ms. Trunchbull isn’t despicable for a single moment, but you also see the weary soul hiding underneath all the gross (and makeup). Thompson also sings well (which she has already demonstrated on stage as Mrs. Lovett Sweeney Todd). Is an Oscar nomination too much to ask? I do not think so!
Yet just like in the original musical, the film still lacks some sharp edges. Roald Dahl was a master of creating indifferent worlds where cruel adults always prevail and even well-meaning people like Miss Angel are powerless. But here Matilda is not immediately impressed by Mrs. Bulstronk’s dictatorial regime. Something that she also shows clearly, without major repercussions. For example, the sense of danger is immediately lacking, even before Matilda discovers her supernatural powers.
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But these are minor caveats. Matilda the Musical it may not be the version Dahl envisioned, but it certainly provides good entertainment.
