Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? Yes.
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Indeed!
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 106 minutes (~ 1.75 hours)
“The Last Witch Hunter” is a contemporary fantasy film. It focuses on the eponymous Witch Hunter, and the revelations about his origins and archnemesis. It stars Vin Diesel (Kaulder), Rose Leslie (Chloe), Elijah Wood (37th Dolan), Michael Caine (Father Dolan), and Julie Engelbrecht (Witch Queen). It is rated PG-13.
“The Last Witch Hunter” appears to have a kitschy and tacky premise, but it’s a surprisingly well-executed concept. It doesn’t re-invent the wheel, but picks the best tropes of the genre and refines it, breathing fresh life into this contemporary fantasy film. It’s not tremendously cerebral, but it’s not a film that has to be.
Highlights
The mix of magic and the modern
Putting a typically medieval fantasy in a modern context is always a tricky task – how believable can spells and swords be in a world of emails and escalators? “The Last Witch Hunter” treads this fine line by utilising only magic that would make sense in a modern world, while still having its witches embrace modern day conveniences such as mobile phones and refrigerators. And when it comes to fears, it taps on universally frightening elements that span the ages, like a fear of the dark. Ultimately, it manages to be believable because the threats are still as dangerous in today’s context as they were hundreds of years ago, firmly establishing the lethality of its villains and the stakes should our hero lose the battle.
Juxtaposition of the magical world and the real world
A key theme of the movie is that there’s more (or less) to the world than meets the eye. Stark differences in the colour correction between both types of scenes highlight this to a symbolic degree, to the point that when a scene looks too colourful or cheerful, you immediately suspect that magic is afoot. This sets the tone for magic, making it a character on its own. Magic is still ultimately an illusory fantasy, while the real world is dark, gritty and serious. It shows that we humans should only depend on our own prowess, rather than the crutch of external enhancers.
Creative and stylised effects
The special effects are used at choice moments and to good effect, never overshadowing the performance of the actors themselves. The use of practical effects in addition to the computer generated imagery helps to maintain an air of believability. The fantastic creatures are used sparingly, meaning that enough time and effort can be spent giving the models a high level of detail. There’s a distinct style to how the different types of magic are depicted, with dark necromantic magic always incorporating tentacles and elemental magic being awash with bright and stark colours. Although it’s a magical realm that the heroes fight in, you never forgot that this could feasibly take place right under our noses in the modern world.
Stunts and action
The titular Witch Hunter is the big bad bruiser of the movie, and ends up with the lion’s share of the fighting scenes. But Vin Diesel is believably built for such a role, which entails him dishing out many knockout punches and customary sword stabs, as well as being the target for magical blasts and other mystical attacks. Coupled with quaint medieval weapons and contemporary arms, and the action crosses genres in a satisfyingly violent way. Of course, there’s nothing too gory for younger viewers, what with the film being PG13 and all.
Letdowns
Plot holes and unresolved threads
The biggest issue I have is with the MacGuffin of the movie, which turns out to have special properties that the protagonist did not foresee. But it’s been 800 years – did Kaulder not have a chance to research any of this or come up with a contingency plan for it? There’s also the issue of a key betrayal at the end of the movie. It comes out of the blue, with just one line of exposition for the sudden shift in sides. It’s abrupt and has no proper set up, leading you to wonder if it’s a twist for the sake of having a twist. A stronger focus on the rivalry between Kaulder and the Witch Queen, in lieu of a random back stabbing, would have generated stronger impact and a more fulfilling conclusion.
“The Last Witch Hunter” is a fun action flick with a big heaping dose of fantasy thrown in for good measure. It’s entertaining without being mindless and stylish without being pretentious, resulting in a thoroughly engrossing film.
“The Last Witch Hunter” opens in cinemas 22 October, 2015 (Thursday).
This review was first published on Yahoo.
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