Rosie Price

Look, it's ok but if you've seen the original or read the book then it's disappointing. I immediately went and streamed the 1990 version to feel better. Just a few points: - the Grand High Witch is supposed to be scary and powerful. Hathaway is just too pretty (even with a CGI mouth) and the other witches also lacked sores and boils and scabs and basically looked fine. - on a similar theme, at one point the GHW comically falls over and looks clumsy and inept. Totally detracts from her power and scariness. - They add in another talking mouse from nowhere which adds nothing and is distracting as it raise LOTS of plot holes. - They botch the ending and add in a totally unnecessary conflict between the GHW and Grandma. - Grandma is portrayed as not really knowing much about witches. In the book and original she always seemed to have very intimate knowledge of them and took the events in her stride calmly and purposefully. Grandma here is far more of a passenger. - The CGI is - bizarrely - less convincing than Jim Henson's puppetry! - Bruno doesn't go back to his parents which in the book is a wonderfully comic scene. We don't even find out if they miss him or are still looking ? - The break-in scene to the GHW bedroom lacks all tension and drama form the book or original. You never fear him getting caught.