Paving it's way for the genre in a retro aspect of course.
Title: Teen Witch
Length: 90min
Ratings: PG-13
Yay my first movie review!
Ahem now I got that out of the way then. Well Teen Witch, where can I start, well I guess there's no denying it, this movie is loaded with 80's pop culture, down to clothes, cars, topics, and of course score. Even the first scene where the credits roll and when Louise the main character is having a dream; I had to make sure I was watching the right movie and I was. So here's a warning to the everyday modernist and fashion sensitive, this movie is truly a byproduct of it's time.
Alright, moving on, the story is about a young girl, Louise, (Robyn Lively) who's very smart, so smart that she's even skipped levels on certain subjects in her school. Though this poor Hermione Granger, I mean, Louise has a typical annoying little brother (Joushua John Miller) and a high school crush on a good looking guy named Brad (Dan Gauthier). It doesn't help much that Brad is a senor, popular, jock, and is already dating a very attractive and popular girl, Randa. Louise also has a dick of an English teacher, Sev- I mean Mr. Weaver. So high school isn't really pleasant for Louise. Her life doesn't get any better as her day progresses. Until she runs into an old house with a rickety sign. Louise takes a chance and walks on in. Luckily, Madame Serena (Zelda Rubenstein) is actually nice and quite happy to see her.
The movie progresses slowly and you won't see any signs of magic or spells until 30 minutes in. Louise's magic comes in uncontrollable waves like hormones. Luckily it doesn't take long for Louise to learn how to take control of them. She then gets revenge on her teacher and a few others along the way. She also gives a lot to people who treat her nice. Though, impatient for Brad's affection Louise casts the Big Kahuna of spells, a popularity spell. Which turns her from unnoticeable geek to outrageously popular, along with a flood of perks and consequence. Poor Polly gets the bad end of the spell while she finally gets to snag Brad. Louise however, starts to doubt Brad's affection towards her leaving her wondering if his feelings are true or just another victim of her popularity spell. Finally, her popularity gets so ridiculous that even Louise herself can't stand it and makes a break for it. It leads her to spend some real quality time with Brad and makes her feel guilty when he tells her what he likes best about her. The ending of this movie might leave a lot of people hanging with questions and I don't blame them as the credits start to roll.
Over all, this cheesy 80's movie is entertaining to say the least. I also need to mention this movie is one of the premises of High School Musical. The strange break into dance and song sequences really doesn't fit into the story and in my opinion unnecessary. I actually cracked up a few times. I almost feel bad for Louise in the girls locker room scene, believe me you will too. Needless to say this isn't everyone's cup of tea and some might enjoy it's cheesy quality while others might be rolling their eyes a bit too often. In my personal opinion there are good parts that had me laughing out loud and there were bad ones that had me sighing for relief. The film paved it's way for future witch movies and with all do respect for the genre I recommend seeing this film with a group of friends, whether to reminisce or pick fun, or both.
Title: Teen Witch
Length: 90 min
Ratings:PG-13
Year:1989
Director: Dorian Walker
Starring: Robyn Lively, Dan Gauthier, Joshua John Miller, and Zelda Rubenstein
Over All Score: B- or 7 out of 10
Entertaining: B+ There are plenty of cheesy laughs in the film, depending on your sense of humor. You may have to wait a while to get that magic feeling as well.
Cinematography: B- The film is done with hardly any tacky special affects nor does it contain visually striking scenes. The setting is realistic and believable and the quality is done well.
Storyline: B, It was original for it's time though may be too played out for avid book readers and movie watchers.
Acting: B Most of the actors seem to do their best, some out of character during the dance scenes, no outstanding acting here.
Music: Score C, Soundtrack C, Typical polyphonic keyboard score you hear in every 80's movie, soundtrack didn't contain any memorable songs.
