I did a first time watch of the 90s Matilda film last year and came away thinking it was fine. Without the nostalgia of watching it as a kid (or having read the book) it was energetic and fun but that’s it. But it encouraged me to read the children’s novel which I finished just a couple hours before I sat down to watch this new film.

Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical follows little Matilda from her crappy home life to her crappy school life where she meets the abominable headmistress and the sweet teacher. Then she becomes Matilda: Avenging Angel as she gains use of The Force and quickly goes dark side. Or something.

I’d say this film is certainly darker than the blithe spirit of the original film… and of the book. Which isn’t to say any of these versions shy away from the wicked derangement of Roald Dahl’s ideas. Indeed, it was positively charming that the film didn’t back away from casual child abuse at the hands of Trunchbull. Or Matilda’s own drive for sly revenge. That Roald Dahl had issues, man.

Unlike sweetheart Mara Wilson, this version’s Matilda (played by Alisha Weir) is kind of scary. She’s the little storm cloud Gomez is really referring to when he drops that nickname on Wednesday. When neo Matilda goes full avenging spirit, she puts a fearsome scowl on her face that confirms she means business. And that’s in the text, but Matilda is so much sweeter than she’s played here. I kind of love it.

Miss Honey is about right… though they cast a black actress in the role. And that made me a bit nervous since, yeah, I just read the book and Dahl specifically says she was a slave to her aunt. Eeeee <tugs at collar> But, thankfully, they don’t even mention being forced to do all the housework, much less use the S word. Shew.

Overall, I think this is a fine adaptation that sometimes runs a little too long and has a mix of songs that aren’t that great. I did love the final song about Revolting Children since that’s a fun double entendre. The finale is a lot of fun and props up some of the more sluggish segments earlier in the film.

Not 100% sure what this brings to the table since it’s content is very much in line with the book and the previous film, only now with music and a darker tone. But it’s still a pretty good watch.

Score: 78