Review of the New Film “Matilda the Musical”

Looking for a new movie to watch with your friends and family? Luckily the new film “Matilda the Musical” was recently released on Netflix, HBO Max, and Disney Plus. The new film “Matilda” is about a young girl who has extraordinary abilities, an above-genius IQ, and a vivid imagination that takes her on grand adventures. You will not be disappointed with the new adaptation of “Matilda”, based on the Broadway Musical. It is jam-packed with upbeat music, fantastic scenery, and over-the-top humor that both children and adults will enjoy.
When the movie opens, the audience is immediately transported to another place where newborn infants are with adoring parents. Then we meet Matilda and her parents, and the scene is different. Matilda is born to a set of narcissistic parents who are less than happy about her arrival. Quickly the setting changes, Matilda is around 8 years old, and she is living with her dysfunctional parents who ignore and verbally abuse her. Despite her parents forgetting to enroll her in school, Matilda is a very bright and resourceful girl who outwits and challenges her parents throughout the movie.

Matilda’s home life is filled with mishaps and adventures that take her on wild adventures filled with colorful and outlandish scenery. There are also many costumes accompanied by musical scenes filled with on-the-spot choreography and songs that introduced each character in a fun and unique way. As the story unfolds Matilda enters Crunchem Hall Primary School where she meets her loving teacher, Jennifer Honey. Honey recognizes Matilda’s advanced IQ and stands by her throughout the movie. Like all good stories, “Matilda” also has a wicked villainess, Agatha Trunchbull, the headmistress and owner of the Crunchem Hall Primary School. Trunchbull is a feared and evil woman with no other passion than destroying the joy and dreams of the children who attend her prestigious school, and she does this by terrorizing them into conformity. The story unfolds through fast-paced musical numbers, fantasy flashes, and outlandish scenes.
Matilda escapes her overwhelming life by visiting her friend Jean Praveena Dawn Phelps. The story unfolds to reveal that Matilda has the supernatural gift of seeing events that happened in the past and tells the backstory of Honey and Trunchbull. Matilda also learns of powers that she must move, bend and throw objects using just her mind and eyes which she uses as a superpower to drive the evil Trunchbull out of the school.

Many people have run to see this entertaining movie, “Matilda”. It is a great movie for those who love music and dancing. Marla Wood, a dance teacher at Shannon Carney Dance Academy, has been inspired by the movie “Matilda”. Wood says “It definitely inspired me as a choreographer. I love how the dances were set specifically, meaning most of them couldn’t be done if you took the choreography and put it on a stage. I loved the use of the sets.” This movie is also a great movie to sit and watch with your family. It is a classic movie filled with great imagination and a vivid storyline. Ali Polson, a mother of a Pennridge student and also a viewer of “Matilda”, expresses that she “loved the scenes that took us into Matilda’s story-telling imagination. They were bright, colorful and added a much-needed break from the darkness of the plot.” The film “Matilda” is a movie that is great for all ages, young children love the vibrant colors and singing. It is also entertaining for teens and adults to watch since it is a twist on the classic “Matilda” that came out in 1996. Teens all around the country are watching “Matilda” with their friends, family, and significant others. Margaux Maxwell a current Junior at Pennridge High School watched “Matilda” and enjoyed the musical scenes. Maxwell loved the movie and stated that “I would recommend this to my friends because I feel like it’s kind of a classic and the music is all so good.” Matilda is a good movie option for an upcoming movie night!

Sources:

https://playbill.com/article/how-matilda-the-musical-had-to-change-itself-from-stage-to-film

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/matilda-the-musical-uk-box-office-black-panther-1235270437

https://broadwaydirect.com/behind-the-making-of-matilda-the-musical-on-netflix/

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3447590/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm