The Action-Horror genre hasn't always been full of successes. Van Helsing was a bit of a mistake, I haven't even had an urge to watch the Underworld films and Blade was good to begin with and then lost it with each sequel. However, Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters manages to get it right... on the whole.
The film starts off with an abbreviated version of the Grimm fairytale, where a young Hansel (Cedric Eich) and a young Gretel (Alea Sophia Boudodimos) are left by their Father in the middle of a the forest. They soon come across a house made of candy and gingerbread and are soon taken captive by a witch. However, they soon escape and grow up to become world renowned Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton), Witch Hunters. They arrive in the small town of Augsburg where they stop Sheriff Berringer (Peter Stormare) from executing a young woman, Mina (Pihla Viitala) who he has accused of witchcraft. The town is being terrorised by Muriel (Famke Janssen), a Head Witch, who is capturing children from the town as sacrifices so the witches can cure themselves of the ugliness curse that is put upon them. However, Hansel and Gretel aren't going to let that happen now, are they?
The thing that makes Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters succeed, in the dodgy Action-Horror genre, where most others have failed is that it knows it's a stupid film. Right from the start, where the language starts turning blue and the blood and gore start flowing, the film makes it clear to it's audience that the films knows it isn't out to win any awards and it's simply been created to entertain. It's in a similar vein to Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, which also takes an absurd premise, but fills it full of in-jokes and silly humour to lighten the mood. The result is that the film doesn't really have much Horror in it and firmly sits more on the side of an Action film, but it still manages to take the iconography of Horror and incorporate it well. Basically, don't go into this film expecting to be scared - instead go in expecting have a thrilling time and a few laughs along the way.
As a result, it seems that the Director, Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow) and the actors knew exactly how to play the roles and play the film itself. Both Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton play their roles in a pretty badass way, but surprisingly still manage to keep the tension high as they prove that their characters are not invincible (basically, the Witches can give as good as they get.) Famke Janssen, while not amazing in her role as the Head Witch, still manages to play her role pretty well but it just felt like she should of had more fun with it. There were glimpses of her having fun with the role (like when she decides to tell a story and says, "It all starts in a sh*tty little town...!") but she could have played her role so over-the-top to match the tone of the film.
However, despite some lacklustre acting, where Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters really shines is in it's direction of it's action scenes. The film rarely lets up and takes pride in taking the audience through it's story at break-neck speed. There's rarely any downtime and when there is, it's punctuated with gloriously silly action scenes like when the troll, Edward (Derek Mears/Robin Atkin Downes) decides to squash and splat Sheriff Berringer and his henchmen into a bloody pulp under the sole of his foot. The only place where I can honestly say that Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters lets itself down with the action is during the film's finale - the witches attempt at sacrificing the children under the Blood Moon is over so quickly, that it barely has any time to build up any tension.
On a technical side, the film looked glorious, however the 3D really didn't add much to the experience. There was one or two stand out moments where the 3D was used for some sight gags (like it should be!) these were so few and far between that it hardly felt worth it. However, the CGI work on Edward and the witches and the blood and gore were surprisingly well used - I can't remember one point in the film where it took me out of the experience and I thought, "That looked fake!"
So, if you like your Action-Horror films to be slightly more on the action side, with a sprinkle of humour and not many scares, then Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters is definitely for you. However, if you like your Action-Horror films to take themselves more seriously and be more equally balanced between action scenes and scares, then you might be a little bit disappointed...
***½ / *****
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