After almost 13 years running onstage, “Matilda The Musical” has finally been adapted into a film. I started out with very low expectations — after all, how could a show so perfectly designed for the stage be transformed into an entirely different medium? However, after watching, I can admit that I was pleasantly surprised.

Originally written as a book by Roald Dahl and later adapted into a Broadway show, the story follows gifted Matilda (Alisha Weir) as she learns to utilize her wit and imagination to take a stand against her abusive parents and head teacher at school. 

Alisha Weir was a fantastic Matilda and the rest of the actors were amazing as well, especially for being such a primarily young cast. Although each actor did great in their individual roles, the best scenes in the movie were when all the actors worked together as an ensemble. For being a movie about coming together to stand up against oppression, this worked perfectly and helped to highlight that theme.

The costumes and setting were also designed really well and the bright colors alongside eccentric costumes and settings helped to portray the childlike fun of the story while also staying true to its important messages. The costumes also did a good job at distinguishing each character’s personality and aesthetic. For example, Matilda’s modest school outfit contrasted with her parents’ ugly, out of the box clothes. 

Despite all of this, it seems like while the movie did a great job in the technical aspects, it lacked in terms of plot and character development. While “Matilda” onstage and as a book got me to care about almost every character and left me wanting more, the film just didn’t. Most of the characters stay the same throughout the whole movie, and since there was so little buildup to the climax, I never got a chance to care about them.

Netflix’s “Matilda The Musical” is a great adaptation of the classic “Matilda” story. It brings all of the fun and whimsy of the original version and although I will always prefer it onstage, I would definitely recommend giving the movie a chance.  

“Matilda The Musical:” ★★★★☆