Today’s quick review: Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. Years after their childhood encounter with a witch, twins Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) have become famed witch hunters. While investigating a rash of kidnappings in a small town, Hansel and Gretel uncover a massive gathering of witches preparing for a ritual that could make them invincible.
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is a fantasy action horror movie loosely based on the classic fairy tale. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters recasts the twins as action heroes armed with an array of high-tech gadgets and weaponry. The movie delivers gory action and high-flying stunts with a tongue-in-cheek modern attitude. The plot, dialogue, and characters can all be summed up the same way: simple but entertaining.
Hansel & Gretel has a sense of ridiculousness that will endear it to certain action fans. Between the improbable gadgets, the overblown witch makeup, and the historical inaccuracy, Hansel & Gretel sacrifices almost all of its dramatic credibility in favor of schlocky fun. The tradeoff is a welcome one for fans of gory kills and over-the-top action, but anyone looking for a serious movie will be badly disappointed.
The movie’s action is surprisingly entertaining. The witches are fast-moving, spell-hurling, and superhumanly strong monsters. The twins work well as a team, trading off attacks to keep their quarry from escaping. The fights are fast-paced and destructive, with a nice sense of overkill. The icing on the cake is the movie’s pro wrestling influences, from Hansel and Gretel functioning as a tag team to Hansel suplexing a witch.
Watch Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters if you are any sort of fan of the silly, violent side of the action genre. Stay far away if you are looking for a serious or realistic movie, or if you are sensitive to gore. For a similarly inventive action movie with gothic horror source material, check out Van Helsing. For darker, more disturbing fairy tale horror, check out The Brothers Grimm.
6.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for fun, schlocky action.