This
got disturbingly close to reminding me of 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire
Hunter'. It's one of the trend of using material that's already in
the public domain (so it's both something the public will recognise,
and half the script writing is already done!) and turning it into a
bland action movie.
It
was, at least, not quite as self-serious as a lot of these tend to
be, but Hansel really needed to be more of a charismatic smart-ass
(though he's trying) and Gretel needed to be a little less boring.
There were funny moments though, and the odd bit of comedy and
over-the-top gore helped, because a movie this dumb can't take itself
too seriously. The hammy witches were fun too, and at its best this
film reminded me of 'Army of Darkness'.
Far
inferior obviously, but still. It actually had a bit of a plot too,
though it was rather in-your-face and predictable. Ultimately it felt
bland and over-produced though, with the usual over-abundance of CGI
(though that troll guy was alright, and the real-life make-up jobs
were fine) and the absence of any particularly likeable characters.
The
battles were fun, and the variety of witches in the big gathering was
cool to see - you get the impression that they're from all over the
world, though it's not stated outright. Ultimately it's forgettable
though, and though I don't now consider watching it a waste of time,
I wouldn't recommend it.
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters: 30.9