The Twits (Share In Your Day)
The Twits lands as one of Netflix’s most eagerly awaited Dahl adaptations, and it enters with both promise and baggage. Directed and co-written by Phil Johnston (known for Wreck-It Ralph, Zootopia), the film features an impressive voice cast including Natalie Portman, Margo Martindale, Johnny Vegas and Emilia Clarke.
A Story Reshaped and Expanded
In Johnston’s version, the twisted couple—Mr. and Mrs. Twit—don’t just live a life of mutual torment. They run an outrageously grotesque amusement park called Twitlandia, powered by the tears of the magical Muggle-Wump monkeys. When the park is shut down, the Twits escalate to citywide terror, deploying rancid meat floods and even mounting a campaign for mayor.
To counterbalance the mayhem, Johnston introduces new characters—chiefly an orphan named Beesha and a cast of animal allies—who stand up against the Twits. These additions shift the film from a simple prank-based fable to something more ambitious: a morality tale about empathy and power.
Tones in Conflict
Here lies the rub: The Twits struggles to settle on a consistent tone. Some sequences veer into gross-out territory more reminiscent of children’s shock humor than Dahl’s biting absurdity; others adopt political satire bordering on muddled messaging.
The ambition is clear: Johnston wants to push the adaptation into contemporary relevance, to make it more than a series of nasty tricks. But the result is often overstuffed, with emotional beats drowning in spectacle. The charm and bite of Dahl—his ability to be sinister yet playful—feel smudged by broad strokes and an overload of ideas.
Standout Performances & Creative Choices
The cast delivers. Margo Martindale brings gravitas and menace to Mrs. Twit; Johnny Vegas’s eccentric voice work lends odd texture to Mr. Twit. Natalie Portman voices Mary Muggle-Wump, adding depth to the animal side of the story. Share In your Day
Musically, the film includes original songs by David Byrne—though at times they feel tacked on, underscoring the uneven tonal shifts. Share In your Day
Verdict
The Twits is a bold reimagining, but its ambition is both its strength and its weakness. In trying to expand Dahl’s compact, mischievous narrative into a grander cinematic spectacle, it loses some of the simplicity and dark charm that made the original beloved. Still, there’s energy and creativity here, and for viewers willing to wade through tonal mismatches, there’s much to admire.
Rating: ★★½ out of ★★★★½
— The Twits streams on Netflix beginning October 17, 2025. Share In your Day
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