The Witch - Box Office Review

If you follow movies you know that January and February are the dumping grounds for garbage films. Occasionally there comes a film that was placed in the season of wasteland cinema for curious reasons because it actually was enjoyable and well done. As I do, I went to the theater with hopes of seeing an entertaining film. The three options I haven't seen yet that I was curious to see were not well received by both critics and users on Rotten Tomatoes. However, "The Witch" was at least well received by critics and so I decided that would be the film for this weeks box office review. 

This film was described by most to be a horror film. I found that description to be inaccurate. It felt more like a suspenseful drama that eventually turns into absurdity. The pacing of this film was incredibly slow but I held out until the end hoping for some sort of payoff. After all, I spent an hour and a half in the theater so it only made sense that I would hope for something of substance. I received nothing. In retrospect, I can see what they were going for but it didn't work. It was boring.

The actors did well in their specific roles. There were even charming moments between the children that are universal between siblings. So, for that the film wasn't a complete waste of time. Unfortunately, there wasn't much more than that. I could see how the witches of the woods had chosen a new witch and how the story played out for that purpose. I could even see the purpose of the animals on the farm and how they eventually connected to the purpose of the ending. The issue was that the film felt like it was 3 hours long and the ending was a departure from the world the film created and quite bizarre.

"The Witch" is in theaters now. I can't recommend this film to even people who like the horror genre because there wasn't horror specific items to build on. It felt like the film was supposed to be one thing but somehow the communication broke down and what was left was all we got. If you wait for it to arrive on Redbox you might enjoy some of the characters and the tone of the film but beyond that I don't see much substance. It's slow, the end is weird, there isn't a payoff but you do get to see the characters descent into madness. They do act their parts well and watching characters go insane can be entertaining from time to time.

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