Everyone has either read this book or seen the movie. Growing up, I know Roald Dahl was a favorite of elementary school teachers and students alike. I remember reading the book, discovering Matilda’s powers with her, rooting for her as she defied her parents, being scared for her of the punishments she could receive in school. I felt the same in the movie. The characters kept their over the top personalities, something that can sometimes be lost in adaptations for “realism”, but the story didn’t come off as completely unbelievable. It was just silly enough to mask the darker tones of abuse and stay appropriate for children. The overall tone of the movie kept a sort of whimsical feel to it, with the villains being distinctly bad, with the heroes being distinctly good. Actually, the overall attitude that you don't’ need to always respect your parents and elders is rather refreshing. The fact that respect is something you need to earn regardless of age in the movie is comforting. I appreciate that this is a message for children that sometimes adults aren’t nice and responsible, and that it's not the child’s fault. I like the ending, where Matilda finds someone who cares deeply for her and takes care of her when her parents skip town. I like that the happy ending doesn’t involve her parents suddenly realizing they were being terrible and suddenly being nice. It would be unrealistic to expect that.
The one thing the movie really altered was the ending. In the book, Matilda develops telekinesis because her brain wasn’t being challenged enough in her kindergarten class. After she is allowed to skip a couple grades to take a more difficult class, her telekinesis goes away. In the movie, Matilda’s telekinesis just develops suddenly, and she retains it throughout the rest of the movie, even after Miss. Honey enrolls her in more difficult classes. This sort of changes the meaning of the story a little bit. It shifts from a ‘this will happen if you aren’t challenged enough in class’ to ‘look at these awesome powers this girl uses to get back at those who are mean’. I don’t know if I really dislike this, but I do miss the original ending.
Overall, this is a good nostalgic movie to watch and enjoy, even if it is a bit childish in its black and white morals. The dark messages and light humor balance each other out, and while if you hadn’t grown up with the story you may not enjoy this movie as much, it is still quite nice.
Love your blog, Lydia! You should read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and compare it to the movie adaptation. You may find yourself especially passionate about the differences because it's a true story, book and movie. Unbroken is on the reading list for this class, too, so you can kill two birds with one stone. Check it out!
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