Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters — Film Review
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Amongst a vast sea of worthless horror remakes, many directors decided the best route is to blur the lines of horror. Comedy, drama, and action are being thrown into the fray to spice up the horror genre. These films may not be remakes, but they slowly kill horror by spreading it so thin that the average viewer can hardly tell what they are watching. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters does just that by making an action/horror film.
The movie begins with two children being abandoned in a forest for unknown reasons. These children then enter the classic tale by the Brothers Grimm that the film is named. Imagine the Hansel and Gretel story with more fighting, blood, and scary makeup.
After Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) grow up, they become witch hunters and travel the globe ridding the world of witches. That is it. I could go into detail about a couple of plot twists in the movie, but there isn’t any point. The film is transparent ten minutes in, and the director, Tommy Wirkola, seems to only care about creating fantastic fight scenes.
What makes this film awful is the writing. I feel horrible for Jeremy Renner because he has terrible jokes throughout the film. Whenever I begin to feel something for these characters, I am immediately pulled out again by the quips. It is incredible how awful it all is.
Ultimately, this blended horror film is not scary whatsoever. Legit action films are more horrifying than this movie. I am not a fan of mixed genres, but I can’t resist any scary movie, no matter what category we want to put it in. Unfortunately, this film wasn’t difficult and wasn’t emotionally engaging. Were the fight scenes exciting, and were the weapons cool? Yes, but I could watch 300 or Taken if I wanted that. The Brothers Grimm created delightfully dark stories, and I hope that one day the horror genre taps into them, but this film is a step backward.
Please avoid this movie.
If you like Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, you might also like The Blair Witch Project.
