Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is a darker interpretation of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale. What's really interesting about this movie is that the director and producers have given the story a modern spin, with the insertion of an impressive array of weapons and contemporary dialogues that were not present during the medieval setting of the story.
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The KayElleGuy has just realised that movies these days are getting more violent and "mature". Seriously, out of the 4 newly-released movies I've watched in the cinema these two weeks, 3 of them are rated '18' while 1 other is rated 'P13' by the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia. I guess people are getting progressively immuned towards violent and adult materials these days with the internet and all. Just when you think that a real-life version of the Hunger Games will never happen in our world huh? What more, turning the main characters of a children fairy tale into a pair of ill-tempered, badass witch hunters who spilled obscenities left, right and centre. Let's check out how did Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters fare.
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters
Language: English
Run Time: 88 minutes // 1 hour 28 minutes
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Horror
Rating: '18' (Malaysia) // 'R' for strong fantasy horror voilence and gore, brief sexuality/nudity and language
Director: Tommy Wirkola
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton, Famke Janssen and cast (See the elaborated list of cast members below)
Date-of-Release: 24 January 2013 (Malaysia) // 25 January 2013 (USA)
What is it about: Fairy tale siblings Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) have grown up to be a formidable team of bounty hunters who track and kill witches all around the world.
Tagline: Classic Tale, New Twist.
(Read on for Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters review)
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is a darker interpretation of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale. What's really interesting about this movie is that the director and producers have given the story a modern spin, with the insertion of an impressive array of weapons and contemporary dialogues that were not present during the medieval setting of the story.
While the plot is rather predictable (come on, it is still a fairy tale after all), the KayElleGuy enjoyed cheeky dialogues and the way several details in the fairy tale were explained and connected such as the reason behind the abandonment of the main characters Hansel (played by Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (played by Gemma Arterton) by their parents.
The movie is action-packed, comical, dark and to quote the Grand Witch Muriel (played by Famke Janssen) "colour"-ful, but never emotional. To me, I have always regard Hansel and Gretel as one of the darkest fairy tales ever, I guess its less-contrasting than say watching the Little Mermaid tearing beating hearts out of the body of male sailors. Hah! And let's not forget the reason witches resorted to magic in the early ages was due to the lack of machinery weapons. (But then again, magic might be even stronger and handier than guns...) Okay, back to the topic.
The cheeky dialogues in the movie have provided a few good laughs and the plot could be followed easily. Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton portrayed their badass characters well, while Famke Janssen has brought a little Phoenix from X-Men: The Last Stand to her character. On top of that, the whole fairy tale, witch colony and witch hunter concepts were stitched into the film nicely, thanks to the experiences that director Tommy Wirkola has with horror films.
What really caught my attention is the film's rich cinematography. The lighting and editing have made the movie look vivid, which matches its gore images and the fantasy element of the movie. The make-up and costume crews have also done tremendously well with the characters, making them visually-appetising. I also had a lot of fun watching the fight scenes and the deaths - both human and witch, are visually sick, in a good way.
Viewers should expect an action-packed, dark fairy tale with a modern spin, colourful visuals, and cheeky dialogues, but its plot is predictable and void of deep emotions. I guess you could call Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters an adult's fairy tale.
While the plot is rather predictable (come on, it is still a fairy tale after all), the KayElleGuy enjoyed cheeky dialogues and the way several details in the fairy tale were explained and connected such as the reason behind the abandonment of the main characters Hansel (played by Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (played by Gemma Arterton) by their parents.
The movie is action-packed, comical, dark and to quote the Grand Witch Muriel (played by Famke Janssen) "colour"-ful, but never emotional. To me, I have always regard Hansel and Gretel as one of the darkest fairy tales ever, I guess its less-contrasting than say watching the Little Mermaid tearing beating hearts out of the body of male sailors. Hah! And let's not forget the reason witches resorted to magic in the early ages was due to the lack of machinery weapons. (But then again, magic might be even stronger and handier than guns...) Okay, back to the topic.
The cheeky dialogues in the movie have provided a few good laughs and the plot could be followed easily. Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton portrayed their badass characters well, while Famke Janssen has brought a little Phoenix from X-Men: The Last Stand to her character. On top of that, the whole fairy tale, witch colony and witch hunter concepts were stitched into the film nicely, thanks to the experiences that director Tommy Wirkola has with horror films.
What really caught my attention is the film's rich cinematography. The lighting and editing have made the movie look vivid, which matches its gore images and the fantasy element of the movie. The make-up and costume crews have also done tremendously well with the characters, making them visually-appetising. I also had a lot of fun watching the fight scenes and the deaths - both human and witch, are visually sick, in a good way.
Viewers should expect an action-packed, dark fairy tale with a modern spin, colourful visuals, and cheeky dialogues, but its plot is predictable and void of deep emotions. I guess you could call Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters an adult's fairy tale.
KayElleGuy's rating: +-+1.png)
(7.5 / 10)
(7.5 / 10)
List of cast members:
- Jeremy Renner as Hansel
- Gemma Arterton as Gretel
- Famke Janssen as Muriel
- Peter Stormare as Sheriff Berringer
- Pihla Viitala as Mina
- Thomas Mann as Ben
- Derek Mears as Edward
- Robin Atkin Downes as Edward (voice)
- Monique Ganderton as Candy Witch // Mother of Hansel and Gretel
- Ingrid Bolsø Berdal as Horned Witch
- Zoë Bell as Tall Witch
- Joanna Kulig as Redhead Witch
- Rainer Bock as Mayor Engleman
- Cedric Eich as Young Hansel
- Alea Sophia Boudodimos as Young Gretel
- Thomas Scharff as Father of Hansel and Gretel and cast
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