Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

It's interesting how everyone wants to be a witch/vampire killer. In this case, it's Hansel & Gretel. Then there's Abraham Lincoln. Who's next? One thing's for sure: everyone seems to like to hate witches, vampires, werewolves, and the like. And why not, they're detestable creatures and this certainly ends up ringing up profits at the box office. So, when "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters" came along, Hollywood couldn't resist.

In this dark spin on the fairy tale, Hansel & Gretel (Jeremy Renner & Gemma Arterton) are now bounty hunters fifteen years after they defeated the wicked witch who plotted to kill them. These siblings have come of age, and now track and kill witches all over the world hell-bent on retribution. At this point they have been hired by Mayor Engleman (Rainer Bock) of a small village because of the disappearance of many children. Sheriff Berringer (Peter Stormare) is totally against hiring them, because he feels by hanging the witches, that will solve the problem.
Unbeknownst to the sheriff, these aren't just ordinary witches--they're lethal.
As the fabled Blood Moon approaches, the siblings encounter great evil that might hold a secret to their terrifying past. Will they realize what this past indicates so they can save all in the village, or will it be a bit too late?

Others to round out the cast are Famke Janssen as Muriel, Pihla Vitala as Mina, Thomas Mann as Ben, Bjorn Sundquist as Jackson, Derek Mears as Edward, Robyn Atkin Downes as Edward (voice), Thomas Scharff as Father, Ingrid Bolso Berdal as Horned Witch, Joanna Kulig as Red Haired Witch, Cedric Eich as Young Hansel, and Alea Sophia Boudodimos as Young Gretel.

This was slickly directed by Tommy Wirkola ("Kill Buljo: The Movie" '07, "Dead Snow" '09). He doesn't have a ton of experience under his belt, but this was a very well paced film with just the right amount of intensity. It was smartly written by Wirkola and D.W. Harper. Definitely an adult version of this tale, it kept you moving right along. Even though some of the acting was a bit stagy, it certainly wasn't enough to detract from this entertaining fairy tale.

If you're into new twists of old tales with great visual effects at a rapid pace, this is the film for you. In any rate, if one has any thought of seeing this, you need to see this on the large screen. Even the 3D made this look good, and you won't get that on a DVD.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                           Rated: R                            88mins.