Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters movie poster

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

In theaters January 25, 2013

88 minutes

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Yes, most of us know the famous Grimm’s fairy tale of Hansel & Gretel. But do you know what happened after they dispatched their captor?

Hansel (Jeremy Renner) & Gretel (Gemma Arterton) are world-famous professional witch hunters. They rescue children from their evil (and I emphasize evil) kidnappers, kill the threat and collect the bounty.

They come upon the German village of Augsburg, under threat from witches – but this witch is different. Augsburg is ravaged by the Grand Witch Muriel (Famke Janssen), bent on conjuring herself and her cronies an immunity to fire. Hansel & Gretel must save the children of Augsburg but also their own skin, as Gretel is key to the Grand Witches scheme.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is a feast of decapitations, bullets and exploding torso’s that could easily detract from this spin on an old classic tale. Instead, the gore adds to it, (pardon me) oozing with style and creativity. This is director Tommy Wirkola’s English language debut, and he does so commandingly.

There’s not much in the way of character development and Renner’s performance is the least inspired of the cast. You might hardly notice or even forgive that lapse since Wirkola has cut this film down to a fast 90-minute thrill ride.

The visual effects; including CGI, 3D and make-up are stunning. The gore is fantastic. The soundtrack loud. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is a visual and auditory treat. This is the type of film that inspires this blog.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is streaming now on the following services:
Articles by
Chris Giroux
Movie Reelist Contributor: Chris Giroux
Chris Giroux is founder and editor-in-charge at Movie Reelist, an entertainment news and review blog serving the most fanatic moviegoers. Chris started his publication in Detroit in 2010 and has since reviewed hundreds of films and interviewed numerous talent across the country. He is an avid film festival attendee and red carpet photographer, having shot the likes of Steven Spielberg, Bill Murray, Mark Hamill, and more. Chris grew up in New Mexico, where he studied mass media writing while working in post-production and multimedia authoring. It is also where he discovered Big Trouble in Little China and Escape from New York, resulting in an unhealthy Kurt Russell obsession.

Comments

  1. Reply

    I totally agree!! Loved the way they hinted to things along the way during their hunts!

  2. Reply

    Nice review Chris. I also totally enjoyed the whole IMAX 3D effects of this film. Loved the different looks (ugly and good) of all the witches making an appearance. I think Edward the troll is the Great Great Grandfather of “The Hulk”. One Amazing Story 🙂

  3. Reply

    Loved the Imax 3D. Great review. Some of the scenes were a little too campy for me. But good story, ok acting, and a film perfect for Imax 3D. Imax or DVD – no other valid options for this movie.

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