Something Wicked This Way
Comes
(1983)
There's a good film in here somewhere, clearest in the library
scenes between Jonathan Pryce and Jason Robards. And, coming from Disney's
commendable - if patchy in quality and financially iffy - dark period, there's
a strong element of thematically murky and even adult material running through
it.
Unfortunately it's
scuppered by Disney-enforced reshoots (clearest in the spider attack sequence
where the kids are a good year or so older). It's mystifying how studios still
go down this route of delaying the release of a film they aren't happy with
while they pump in several £m of new scenes only for it to still go belly-up
when it does come out. It’s also saddled with some of the most Disney-kids you
could imagine in the leads.
The film has a lovely,
moody, look, though, and James Horner test drives is his Aliens-attack theme 3 years early. In an alternate universe,
Gilliam was thrown this after Time
Bandits and so found it unnecessary to make Dr. Parnassus.
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