The Witches Review: 4 Ups & 6 Downs

2. The Lousy, Unconvincing Ending

The most divisive aspect of the 1990 movie is its rather rushed deus ex machina ending, in which Luke is miraculously transformed back into human form at the last minute.

Beyond being rushed, it also departed from the far darker climax in Dahl's book, a creative decision by Roeg which left Dahl distraught.

This was certainly the ripest area for Zemeckis' film to improve upon its predecessor, and though its ending hews closer to Dahl's written word, the family-friendly tone prevents Zemeckis from fully committing to Dahl's more somber ideas.

It very much feels like a "have your cake and eat it" ending, attempting to touch on the tragedy of the source material but without leaving kids upset.

That Zemeckis also throws a bizarre musical montage into the mix, as well as a baffling mid-credits scene, only makes the ending seem that much more lame, and that much more studio-mandated. Oof.