On C List of Movie Reviews
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The Craft (1996)
Rate:
7
Viewed:
12/16
12/16:
For a chick flick, The Craft is enjoyable, works well on the fantasy level, and makes it easy to be
interested in Wicca.
Of course, it deals with witchcraft which is a bunch of made-up stuff, and there's no basis in truth. So,
suspending disbelief is the best course of action if you want to enjoy the movie. Good performances are
rendered by the ensemble cast. Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk (whose first name is a Farsi word for "turquoise"
in reference to the color of her eyes), Neve Campbell, and Rachel True have great chemistry together. The
boys aren't bad, either.
Robin Tunney, who wore a wig because she shaved her head for
Empire Records, stands out because of solid acting,
but Fairuza Balk, an actual Wiccan, steals the show constantly. As for Skeet Ulrich, a Johnny Depp look-alike,
it's his first role in a feature length picture, and he'll re-team with Neve Campbell during the same year
for Scream.
Many films will go overboard when special effects come into play. But in The Craft, it's appropriately
used to underscore the fantasy power of magic spells. That's why the movie is fun to watch, thanks to Tony
Gardner and others. According to IMDb, one scene contains "over 3,000 snakes including pythons, boas, water
snakes, garter snakes, rat snakes, and a 10-foot Amazon constrictor, even rare albino snakes." But the
beached sharks are fake models.
The story works well and teaches an important lesson: power corrupts. When Nancy saw what she could do with
the magic spells, she went crazy with her two friends chiming in. But Sarah kept it in check by limiting them
to keep the power away. Because magic spells can't be undone, there are a couple of loose ends that aren't
properly tied up at the end such as: what will happen to the blond girl's hair, and what about Skeet's
character who's lovey-dovey about Sarah which is dangerous due to not being able to eat, drink, or sleep?
When Sarah chanted the words, "I bind you from doing harm, Nancy. Harm against other people and harm against
yourself," why not instead say the following: "I bind you from using spells, Nancy. Spells against other people
and spells against yourself"? What's lame is the movie was rated 'R' due to teenagers dabbling in
witchcraft. Come on, it's time to grow up, folks, and realize that Salem ended over 300 years ago and that
witchcraft is total bullshit. Interestingly, The Crucible was released
during the same year, so be sure to check it out.
All in all, The Craft is worthwhile.