Review: Hansel & Gretel - Witch Hunters (2013)

Review by Disgruntled Monkey

Director: Tommy Wirkola
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton, Peter Stormare and Famke Janssen
Writer: Tommy Wirkola

Some movies are a lot like candy. They can be pretty tasty but don't really provide any sustenance. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is very much like this and by the end I was craving for more.

Not once does this movie ever take itself seriously and instead it keeps things moving at a very quick pace. It gives us fun if not fully fleshed out characters, interesting witch designs with generous amounts of bloody death and some good action pieces.

What probably makes this movie better than average is the fun that Renner and Arterton bring to the main characters. They do come across as brother and sister, and don't play it too seriously. The other plus is the Tommy Wirkola actually puts lots of little details into the movie. They really flesh out this steam punk style world and work as a laugh. I loved the missing children's pictures being tied to old milk bottles.

Overall Hansel & Gretel is a movie that only wants to entertain and that's it. You'll watch this movie, laugh and cheer. But by the time the end credits role, you'll quickly forget the movie. This isn't really a bad thing, but it can turn people off that the movie is so hollow.

Category	Rating	Reason
Entertainment	1 broomsitck out of 1	One thing this movie does well is entertain.
Script	0.5 broomsticks out of 1	It can over explain things a bit too much, but it's fun.
Acting	1 broomstick out of 1	Everyone works in this movie.
Directing	0.5 broomsticks out of 1	It works but some of the direction is bland.
Technical	0.5 broomsticks out of 1	Set, witch and weapon design is great. However some special effects look a little fake.
Overall	3.5 broomsticks out of 5	Entertaining movie that never over stays it's welcome. Shame there isn't much more to it than witch killing.