Something Wicked This Way ComesSince Eve was first tempted in the Garden of Eden with the prospect of forbidden knowledge--God-like power--the Devil has used that which we most desire as a weapon, its deliverance unto us not a means to enlighten us, but to destroy us, the ultimate aim of evil, because evil is resentful of our goodness, our purity, and must corrupt us to establish power. Something Wicked This Way Comes is a battle of good versus evil, not fought with swords or magic, but with innocence against malice, resolve against despair.
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In less abstract terms, the film--adapted from the novel of the same name by Ray Bradbury, who also penned the screenplay--follows two young boys and their adventure in the sleepy town of early 20th Century-era Greentown, Illinois: Will Halloway (Vidal Peterson) and Jim Nightshade (Shawn Carson). The two boys are as different in appearance as night and day, but neighbors born on the same night, they are practically blood brothers, an observation made by many. The two boys run through their autumn days, visiting Will's father, Charles Halloway (Jason Robards), the town librarian, and indulging the travelling lightning rod salesman--Tom Fury (Royal Dano)--by purchasing one of his exotic stems of metal. When advertisements are strewn across the town, announcing the imminent arrival of "Dark's Pandemonium Carnival", the boys curiosity is piqued and they sneak out at night to witness its arrival. It is here that the movie also makes apparent its true intentions: not to simply unfold a lackadaisical story of two boys in their youth, but of the horror which crawls into their town across railroad tracks, spearheaded by a devil with illustrated skin--Mr. Dark (Jonathan Pryce) and his arcane accomplice, a "dust witch" (Pam Grier) both beautiful and mortifying. As the train rolls past, emitting a piercing shriek, the statues of the angels in the graveyard from which Jim and Will view the arrival, shudder and crack, as panes of evil red light stab out from within. This image is a clear illumination of just what kind of wickedness is arriving, something primal, something from which the angels themselves and the safeguards of our guardians are a ward not strong enough to resist. Will's naive curiosity leaves him ill-prepared to truly understand the allure of the destructive boons Mr. Dark inflicts upon the weak-willed residents of Greentown, but deep down, Jim's inner pains of feeling abandoned by his father, his own quiet resentment of Will's complete family, start to wear on him. And yet Will is not without his own grief, worried over his aged father, who seems preoccupied with his own mortality. Will narrates the tale as a grown man, and describes that the story is one of his father, who like so many residents of the town, is haunted by something which leaves him full of regret, something which Mr. Dark and company are more than willing to exploit.
Something Wicked This Way Comes is a haunting and unsettling movie. The story subverts our ideas of the purpose of a carnival, by turning it into something horrific; the carnival does not really deal in bloody or otherwise "un-scary" fare, but in raw creepiness, the unnerving feeling that something is not right, represented best by the bizarre and soul-consuming attractions, like the hall of mirrors or the carousel, each with their own devilish powers. A piece of trivia often forgotten is that Something Wicked This Way Comes is, in fact, a Disney movie, an idea which seems at odds with the dark subject matter and overall scare potential. It is a bit of a stereotype, but contemporary (and even not-so-contemporary) Disney films do have a tendency to avoid any kind of thought-provoking and soul-searching content, whereas this film challenges us to look within and evaluate our own weaknesses. Nevertheless, for one delightfully dark moment, the mouse turned his gaze toward the shades lurking in this literary adaptation. Although Jonathan Pryce was cast as Mr. Dark over other, more recognizable actors to keep the cost of the movie down, his stunning, dominant performance makes him utterly perfect as the diabolical antagonist. His eloquent dialogue is often imposing and pregnant with content, but also a rich prose which sets him above the other characters, a subtle way to signify he is something otherworldly, Mephistopheles in a top hat and Western bow tie. His confrontation with Charles Halloway in the town library is a tense one, as the two men counter back and forth with literary allusions--the film's title is quoted by Mr. Halloway, and is from "Macbeth". Mr. Dark--as he does with others by preying on their weaknesses--attempts to bribe Charles Halloway into handing over the troublesome Will and Jim by offering to make him young again, dramatizing his fleeting age and the swiftness with which it flees by tearing pages from his father's diary, chronicling the arrival of Mr. Dark and his "autumn people" generations past. This scene stands out not only because of the powerful performances and special effects, but because it not only emphasizes the real cruelty of Mr. Dark, his venom and hate for anything good, but also reveals the resolve of Charles Halloway, surfacing from the lake of his despair, as the gauntlet is thrown down in the battle for the souls of the innocent.
Recommended for: Fans of a literary adaptation of a young adult thriller, but one which remains chilling for any age. It is a scary movie kids can get real chills from, but adults should not assume this would prevent them from enjoying it.
Something Wicked This Way Comes is a haunting and unsettling movie. The story subverts our ideas of the purpose of a carnival, by turning it into something horrific; the carnival does not really deal in bloody or otherwise "un-scary" fare, but in raw creepiness, the unnerving feeling that something is not right, represented best by the bizarre and soul-consuming attractions, like the hall of mirrors or the carousel, each with their own devilish powers. A piece of trivia often forgotten is that Something Wicked This Way Comes is, in fact, a Disney movie, an idea which seems at odds with the dark subject matter and overall scare potential. It is a bit of a stereotype, but contemporary (and even not-so-contemporary) Disney films do have a tendency to avoid any kind of thought-provoking and soul-searching content, whereas this film challenges us to look within and evaluate our own weaknesses. Nevertheless, for one delightfully dark moment, the mouse turned his gaze toward the shades lurking in this literary adaptation. Although Jonathan Pryce was cast as Mr. Dark over other, more recognizable actors to keep the cost of the movie down, his stunning, dominant performance makes him utterly perfect as the diabolical antagonist. His eloquent dialogue is often imposing and pregnant with content, but also a rich prose which sets him above the other characters, a subtle way to signify he is something otherworldly, Mephistopheles in a top hat and Western bow tie. His confrontation with Charles Halloway in the town library is a tense one, as the two men counter back and forth with literary allusions--the film's title is quoted by Mr. Halloway, and is from "Macbeth". Mr. Dark--as he does with others by preying on their weaknesses--attempts to bribe Charles Halloway into handing over the troublesome Will and Jim by offering to make him young again, dramatizing his fleeting age and the swiftness with which it flees by tearing pages from his father's diary, chronicling the arrival of Mr. Dark and his "autumn people" generations past. This scene stands out not only because of the powerful performances and special effects, but because it not only emphasizes the real cruelty of Mr. Dark, his venom and hate for anything good, but also reveals the resolve of Charles Halloway, surfacing from the lake of his despair, as the gauntlet is thrown down in the battle for the souls of the innocent.
Recommended for: Fans of a literary adaptation of a young adult thriller, but one which remains chilling for any age. It is a scary movie kids can get real chills from, but adults should not assume this would prevent them from enjoying it.