Movie Review - The Last Witch Hunter

The Last Witch Hunter

2015

The Cast

Riddick in the light... 'ish...

So way back when witches roamed the land so did Witch Hunters.  Kaulder (Diesel) and his gang are hinting the Witch Queen who is intent on the destruction of the human race.  The battle between Queen and mortals is fast and furious with everyone but Kaulder and the Queen being slain.  In a last ditched attempt, Kaulder attacks and runs her through with his sword of fire.  However, as witches are accustomed, she doesn't die easily... she curses Kaulder to immortality.  However, judging by the notches on his bedpost this curse has backfired on the witch because it looks like he's enjoying life... not only does he have the women, but he has his own toys, fast cars, and a penthouse... when can I get cursed that bad(?)

So this is pretty much a Vin Diesel vehicle and to be honest, it's kinda like Riddick without the contact lenses.  There's at least an air of a mystery in the story, something is happening in the magic community and it's not good.  What's happening?  Who's behind it?  What's the twist?  All good questions, though all, are pretty easy to figure out.  Mainly, because it's all been done before and maybe they didn't want to get too complicated and confusing as the film is aimed at a 12A audience.  Any adult should know where this story is going and all the twist reveals well in advance of their actual reveal.

Vin Diesel once again does a great job at being Vin Diesel... I would love to see him stretch his acting wings to take in a few more characterisations... or is he gonna be like Bruce Willis stuck in a rut being John McClane in every film he does?  Can anybody remember when he was Hudson Hawk...  But I digress, then you have Rose Leslie as Chloe... she's a strange one as sometimes she's great, then at others, a lump of wood.  Similar can also be said for Elijah Wood as Dolan 37th (shouldn't that be The 37th Dolan or Dolan 37?).  Most of the time he's on screen he gives out an appearance of uncaring.  It's like he didn't want to be there.  Other than Diesel, the only other actors who do well with their characters are Olafsson as Belial, brilliant as the hulk of a warlock, who is certain of his power and his mission.  Michael Caine as Dolan 36th, a cheeky priest who has befriended Kaulder over his tenure.  

However, it's the direction, the special effects, and action scenes that will keep the audience entertained the most.  Eisner is a good director and uses both camera shots, angles, pans, and lighting to his best advantage.  It's also nice that he decided to keep the dark subterranean scenes well lit so you can see the action.  It's also refreshing that in the action scenes he doesn't always opt for shaky cam.  But, uses quick pans and cuts to add speed, tension, and excitement... phew, no seasickness pills needed.

If the story had been stronger and some of the characters slightly upgraded it would have made this a much better venture.  As it is, it's a leave your brain by the door, magical slobber knocker.  Not too bad a way to waste an hour and a half... though if you're looking for original, this isn't it... or thought-provoking.

I would recommend this to all viewers who want a not-all-together mindless entertainment.  It's a one watch movie.

I give this a magical curse of 6.25 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - Red Riding Hood

Red Riding Hood

(2011)

Warner Bros / Appian Way / Random Films : Warner Home Video

8 / 10

This is a nice update on the "Little Red Riding Hood" fairie tale.  Instead of a wolf terrorising the local village we have a werewolf.  This adds the dimension of mystery to the tale for who could be the dreaded werewolf.  The writer David Leslie Johnson and director Catherine Hardwicke do a fantastic job of playing people off people and putting them into situations where you can never quite figure out who the killer is.  This makes for quite an enjoyable movie which the audience can have a stake in; there's not many of those around today.

I also liked the fact that the writer and director kept the story in the faerie tale spirit.  The setting of the Ye Olde Village is brilliant, it gives a close knitted community that, pretty much, lives in each other's pockets.  So when it's revealed by Solomon, played by Gary Oldman, that the beast could be one of them a personal fear and distrust of neighbours starts to spread.  There is something very haunting about the village and the surrounding forest as it stands upon a bed of snow, which constantly falls from the overcast sky.  All of this just adds layers upon layers to the film making it stronger.

On the whole, I loved this film, though there are a few drawbacks which made it drop a few points.  

I don't understand why Oldman tried to do a German / Bavarian accent as the rest of the cast didn't bother.  The worst of it was, his accent kept slipping and this became annoying.

Most of the cast were excellent in their parts giving believable performances.  Though there were times when both Max Irons, who played Henry, and Julie Christie, as Grandmother, came across as lacking in substance... sometimes Henry just looked doped up... and Grandmother was as wooden as her luxurious forest home.

Then there was the music at the celebration of the killing of the beast.  We heard modern rhythms and instruments (especially synthesisers) when the musicians were playing horns and drums.  Also, the dance we see between Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) and her friend Prudence (Kacey Rohl) wouldn't be out of place in today's nightclubs... but probably not for a religious community. 

Lastly, the main sections of the story that people know and love - "Oh Grandma, what big eyes you have" and the wolf in grandma's clothing.  These are taken as two separate scenes, which I can understand, though they appear to have been thrown into the story and film and this is a waste as they are pivotal to the original story and should have been used better to draw the audience further into the tale.  I hate waste and this was an extreme waste of a good idea.

This is a beautifully written, shot, and acted film that I would recommend to all as there are elements of mystery, thriller, horror, and fantasy, as well as a pretty decent love story.  Worth a watch at least once.