Cinematic Releases: Hansel & Gretel - Witch Hunters

After witnessing the vampire slaying excursions of Abraham Lincoln, I was hesitant and somewhat discouraged to see any more movies about people hunting witches, demons, vampires or any other sort of fictional underworld baddie. In all honesty, I was pleasantly surprised by Hansel & Gretel : Witch Hunters. It's a very short film that doesn't spend much of it's hour and twenty five minutes on character development. However, it definitely doesn't come up short in the amount of blood it spills.

This is just a back to basics, non-stop ass kicking type of movie that's loaded front to back with great graphics, comedic elements and plenty of cool weapons. Hansel & Gretel actually succeeds where films like Abraham Lincoln : Vampire Hunter and Van Helsing both failed. It takes an established story that we all know and recreates it with a new twist on the classic characters. Overall, it's a much more worthy genre entry than those previous flops.

Hansel & Gretel : Witch Hunters is a formidable step in the right direction and could possibly spawn sequels if enough people get to the theaters to see it. While it's not a perfect film, I was definitely amused by the antics of this brother and sister witch hunting team and enjoyed picking out some of the influences that inspired the movie.

If you're up for a good time this weekend, check this one out. It's not too heavy and has a little something for everyone. Just don't take the kids. It's way too violent for them.

3 out of 5 - CG