Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters

The classic Brothers Grimm fairytale of Hansel and Gretel has been told and retold dozens of times. While most everyone is familiar with the story of the siblings who got left in the woods and stumbled upon a house made of gingerbread and candy, the tale doesn’t say what happens to them after they kill the evil witch. Turns out they became badass witch hunters, at least according to director Tommy Wirkola.

Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) have spent their entire lives hunting and killing witches, but when they’re hired to find a group of missing children they encounter the grand witch Muriel (Famke Janssen) who is bent on becoming immortal. This isn’t your average fairytale, though, so it’s best you put the kids to bed before seeing this bloody action flick.

Decapitations, dismemberments, and fire-roasted witches are all common occurrences in Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. They are, after all, the best methods for disposing of the supernatural beasts. The film doesn’t try to be anything sophisticated or tell a mind-blowing story; it essentially expands a bit on the classic fairytale and then delivers Renner and Arterton killing witch after witch. It’s entertaining and clearly not meant to be taken seriously.

The story can be quite ridiculous at times, especially the whole Hansel having to inject himself with some sort of medicine every few hours because he was force fed too much candy when he was a child. Spoiler alert! It’s diabetes. It’s moments like these where you end up shaking your head, but the action far outweighs the intended humor.

Hansel has his shotgun and Gretel has her bow and both do some serious damage to witches throughout the film. The action is almost Tarantino-ish with massive amounts of blood spurting out of every orifice and plenty of exploding limbs. It’s a fun movie that doesn’t take itself seriously, and neither should you.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters may not seem like much at first glance but it’s entertaining enough to keep you occupied during its hour and a half running time. If it’s straight up action you’re looking for, Renner and Arterton deliver.