Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters isn’t perfect by any means. The premise may be laughable but somehow Hansel and Gretel ends up walking away as a fun ride as long as it isn’t taken too seriously. The movie is able to boast strong visuals as well as great costume design and make up. The violent nature of the film as well as its entertaining action sequences, are the strongest assets that the movie has going for it. The story is simple and produces a lot of eye rolling scenes, that are somewhat made watchable by cast. The movie succeeds as a guns blazing action movie but nothing more and will have a hard time reaching out to more than just a niche audience.
As of late there has been a need to take classic children’s tales and make them darker and grittier. I was disappointed in the way Snow White and the Huntsman as well as Alice in Wonderland handled this spin despite both having a great style with beautiful visuals. Both suffered from a lack of an engaging story and took themselves way too seriously. In the end I walked away from both feeling like it was all style and no substance. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is the latest to take part in this trend of darker movies, and although it’s far from a perfect movie, Hansel and Gretel got a few things right.
I will admit that I was a little harsh on Hansel and Gretel from the get go. The first time I watched the trailer I laughed it off and didn’t think too much of it. The concept seemed silly and I thought that the movie would be a step back for the stars. Chalk it up to low expectations but I ended up walking way from the movie having had a lot of fun and feeling as though Hansel and Gretel was better than it should be.
The dialogue, as well as some acting, can produce a lot of eye rolling scenarios. Most scenes are laughable but the actors make it fun for the most part. The movie has a rather interesting start but begins to drop off towards the middle of the movie. The story is simple and tries to create twist and turns along the way but the secrets are telegraphed from a mile away and are not that surprising. Despite the dragging pace in the middle, the end finds a way to make up for the uneven pace. Honestly, the movie left me impressed with the group of characters at the end that I wouldn’t mind seeing a return trip to this world with better writing and direction.
Personally I feel as though Gemma Arterton was the weaker of the two main characters. Her delivery, and would be ‘bad-ass’ personality is off putting and comes away feeling awkward. It’s not a completely bad performance but it’s not as strong as Jeremy Renner’s and left me thinking about who could play her role better. Renner on the other hand, is able to take the silliness of the script and run with it. It’s laid back, it’s fun, and it never seems as though he’s trying as hard as Arterton. Together Arterton and Renner make a good on screen duo, and provide enough entertainment to make Hansel and Gretel watchable.
Much like Alice in Wonderland, and Snow White and the Huntsmen, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters boasts awesome visuals. The make up and costume/character designs were awesome and created a believability to the world that was pleasing to watch. The witches were varied, and all had an awesome deteriorating look to them. Although the weaponry looks cool, some of the tech seemed inconsistent for the era, but if we’re going to start nitpicking little details then there are other more important areas to begin with.
Unfortunately Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters still doesn’t provide an engaging enough story to classify it as a great movie, but it does a few things well enough to put it above Snow White and the Huntsmen, and Alice in Wonderland. The movie is bloody, plain and simple. Decapitations, shotgun blasts to the head, explosions of blood and body parts, this movie holds no punches. This violent nature is the movie’s strongest asset and will be the make or break factor for most people. With such a simple story the movie’s awesome action sequences as well as a wonderful final act will please action fans enough to look past its weaknesses. Hansel and Gretel isn’t much of a horror or parody by a long shot. There were only a few moments in the movie that I found myself laughing out loud. A lot of the jokes are hit and miss and aren’t consistent enough to reach out to a larger audience. The film succeeds as a guns blazing action movie that allows its actors and audience to laugh with and at the movie’s silliness. It’s this non-serious approach that keeps things fun in between the action sequences and not a boring 88 minutes to sit through.
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters isn’t perfect by any means. The premise may be laughable but somehow Hansel and Gretel ends up walking away as a fun ride as long as it isn’t taken too seriously. The movie is able to boast strong visuals as well as great costume design and make up. The violent nature of the film as well as its entertaining action sequences, are the strongest assets that the movie has going for it. The story is simple and produces a lot of eye rolling scenes, that are somewhat made watchable by cast. The movie succeeds as a guns blazing action movie but nothing more and will have a hard time reaching out to more than just a niche audience.
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