Enter a world of fantasy in Grimm’s classic fairytale, “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.” However, the classic fairytale takes a spin into the action-horror genre in the 2013 adaptation directed and co-written by Tommy Wirkola. In the prologue of the hour-and-a-half-long film,
their father leads a young Hansel and Gretel (Cedric Eich and Alea Sophia) into the forest — no breadcrumbs dropped in this version. For the moment, the film adheres to the classic story as the two show up at the house made of candy and together defeat their bad witch. 15 years later, the two have grown into hardcore bounty hunters (now played by Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton) on the hunt for ugly, child-napping
witches. The infamous brother and sister arrive in a new
town in search of their next witch to kill and find more than just a witch. Evil takes a whole new meaning in the form of a grand dark witch with magic Hansel and Gretel have never seen and secrets to their past that they never understood. The siblings race against the approaching blood moon in order to save the 12 kidnapped children
of the town and discover the mysteries of their own pasts. With that basic plot line in
place, the action takes over in its goriest form. Between the beheadings, burnings and all around dismemberment, the blood and action left nothing to be desired. The movie’s R rating was well deserved and I’m only thankful that I chose not to watch the brains spray out in 3D form, saving myself from disgust and the extra ten dollars.
The quick-paced action scenes were exciting, with just enough space in between to keep me enraptured by Hansel’s small romance with a local girl from the village and Gretel’s odd relationship with an ogre-like creature named Edward. The humor in the film wasn’t lacking either, between Hansel’s dry wit and the character Ben’s adorable admiration for the siblings’ successful careers — but mostly admiration for Gretel.
The ending satisfied with an action-filled climax courtesy of the siblings’ very awesome collection of medieval guns and bows, and the duo’s past was discovered with no loose ends to tie up.
Overall, it’s an excellent mix of the fairytale fantasy for the female audience and action and gore that appeal to most male audiences. If you are a fan of neither, then you might want to go watch something else less exciting, or just less bloody.
Rating: 4/5
