Featured Audience Ratings

• Film C

  
  I enjoy any adult version of children book classics! I enjoyed Grimm Brothers and i quite enjoyed this movie, far more gorey then the childrens classic which is fantastic! Not alot to it but i think you'll find it enjoyable enough!

• JY S

  
  Tommy Wirkola's <i>Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters</i> both amuses and disappoints.<p>For a film about witch hunting, there is seemingly enough story to create an all out bloody killing spree; however, the 90 minutes of screen time is only partially that.… More
  Tommy Wirkola's <i>Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters</i> both amuses and disappoints.<p>For a film about witch hunting, there is seemingly enough story to create an all out bloody killing spree; however, the 90 minutes of screen time is only partially that. When it comes down to it, most of the characters are pretty stale and the storytelling, while quickly-paced, is a letdown.</p><p>Most movies of this caliber usually make up for the lack of substance with a plethora of violence and action. Unfortunately, this film doesn't do that. It does have it's share of R-rated violent material. There is no argument there. There just isn't enough to push this picture over mediocrity.</p><p>Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton are passable witch hunters, but Famke Janssen takes the crown in this one as the grand witch. Peter Stormare is a complete waste in this one.</p><p>For what it is, <i>Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters</i> is a good one time viewing.</p>

• Dean M

  
  Another spin on the fairy tale, since Snow White and the Huntsman, about Hansel & Gretel become bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world. This is not a quality film, but pretty entertained and has fun with it. There was an incredible amount of gore in this… More
  Another spin on the fairy tale, since Snow White and the Huntsman, about Hansel & Gretel become bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world. This is not a quality film, but pretty entertained and has fun with it. There was an incredible amount of gore in this movie; but I suppose that itself was a joke, given the premise of the movie. Their other jokes relied on anachronisms (weapons, fanboys, crime investigations). But they were careful enough that the anachronisms were funny in the context of the world-building instead of being glaring anomalies. Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton are unquestionable bad-ass! They fit the titular roles very well. The CG and production design were quite good and imaginative.

• Thomas B

  
  Despite the lackluster action sequences, this is a surprisingly enjoyable shlock-fest with some fine chemistry between the leads. Full review later.

• Sanjaya &

  
  A classic tale with a nice twist but wrong execution.. 'Hansel and Gretel : Witch Hunters' is no more than just a movie of two people (in this case Hansel and Gretel them self) trying to have a lot of fun by killing witches..The story itself is really simple, but they are… More
  A classic tale with a nice twist but wrong execution.. 'Hansel and Gretel : Witch Hunters' is no more than just a movie of two people (in this case Hansel and Gretel them self) trying to have a lot of fun by killing witches..The story itself is really simple, but they are not trying to make this movie any better with write a good screenplay, instead they just make this movie so gore like I'm watching one of Quentin Tarantino's movie.. Jeremy Renner gave a quite strong performance as Hansel, while the performance from Gemma Arterton as Gretel just like a sweetener for the movie.. Overall, it's just an average movie that just okay to be watched but nothing special in it..

• Kase V

  
  There's a little fun to be had in a climactic battle and its use of anachronisms, but 'Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters' is a mostly drab affair. Nothing about the film really works. It is strange, because the film's central idea of taking an old fable and giving… More
  There's a little fun to be had in a climactic battle and its use of anachronisms, but 'Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters' is a mostly drab affair. Nothing about the film really works. It is strange, because the film's central idea of taking an old fable and giving it a cool twist is a unique idea, but nothing about the film feels fresh or new. The movie feels like the recycled parts of other unsuccessful action fantasy mixed with a few curse words. It never really seems to work.

• Jeff "

  
  Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters is yet another hybrid action horror film in the vein of Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. Genre hybrids tend to be very interesting, but also hit and miss due to the fact that it tends to be too much style over substance. With that being said, at times… More
  Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters is yet another hybrid action horror film in the vein of Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. Genre hybrids tend to be very interesting, but also hit and miss due to the fact that it tends to be too much style over substance. With that being said, at times it's good to watch for sheer mindless fun. On the other this film lacks anything truly engaging and fun. I really didn't enjoy it, and thought it lacked something to really make it worthwhile. The idea was interesting and had potential, but the execution was poor. The story is simply too bland, and its cast is wasted on a lacking script that just doesn't cut it. This film was disappointing, and I really wanted to enjoy it, but it simply didn't deliver on what it could have been. Jeremy Renner is a talented actor that delivers in his performances, but in his role as Hansel, he just doesn't cut it. The film feels rushed and the action just isn't thrilling. I was expecting much more out of the film, and considering its interesting idea, could have been something truly memorable and fun for horror fans. The film suffers from a poor script and poorly written characters that are simply not that interesting to watch. Hansel & Gretel is a failure in terms of a genre hybrid, while a few have succeeded in being quite entertaining, this one falls flat and leaves a lot to be desired in the long run. Don't expect much out of this film, as it is a waste of time. The story and action are just not interesting, and could have been done a lot better. I really wanted to enjoy it, but I simply couldn't. Along with The Bourne Legacy, this is one of Jeremy Renner's most disappointing efforts. This is among the worst horror films in recent memory and is definitely not worth your time. This is a waste of talented actors and celluloid and I am surprised that they couldn't create something truly wonderful with the interesting concept. This film fails and is a tiresome affair where you are left wanting more, but is limited to rushed plot developments, wooden acting and sloppy directing.

• Liam G

  
  There are some nice gory moments and visual effects, but ''Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters'' has severe tonal issues, bland and often annoying characters and an extremely generic storyline that makes it a dull experience overall.

• Shawn M

  
  decent, love the effects, story was a little weak and predictable but very entertaining none the less.

• George F

  
  Hansel and Gretel suffers from the same problem as most movies in this newer genre, it has no idea what it wants to be. At times it is utterly ridiculous, and at these times it fails. Other moments play as totally serious, and most of these moments fail too. In the last 30 minutes or… More
  Hansel and Gretel suffers from the same problem as most movies in this newer genre, it has no idea what it wants to be. At times it is utterly ridiculous, and at these times it fails. Other moments play as totally serious, and most of these moments fail too. In the last 30 minutes or so it finally seems to find a tolerable groove, but it's way too little too late for a movie that just isn't worth your time.

• The Movie W

  
  Lost in the woods as children, brother and sister Hansel (Renner) and Gretel (Arterton) come upon a house made of candy. Upon entering, they discover it's the home of a witch who takes them captive. The children defeat her and vow to dedicate their lives to ridding Europe of the… More
  Lost in the woods as children, brother and sister Hansel (Renner) and Gretel (Arterton) come upon a house made of candy. Upon entering, they discover it's the home of a witch who takes them captive. The children defeat her and vow to dedicate their lives to ridding Europe of the scourge of witchcraft. Years later, they find themselves employed by the mayor of Augsburg who wishes the pair to rescue the town's children from evil witch Muriel (Janssen). As well as battling Muriel, the siblings must contend with the local corrupt Sheriff Berringer (Stormare). It's always a bad sign when a film's press screening is held the evening before said movie goes on general release. Basically, the distributor is admitting they have no faith in the film. In the case of 'Hansel & Gretel' it's easy to see why they were so hesitant. This is the sort of movie that's so moronic it actually gives you a headache (though part of this could be down to the 3D). It's a one joke movie, and that joke is the title. Back in the good old days of exploitation cinema, the line was that films were made based on posters. Now, movies like this and the equally awful 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter' are being made purely because of a catchy title. No effort has been put into creating a half decent film here and the result is completely devoid of both charm and soul. Despite the ridiculousness of the title, there's no reason something worthwhile could have come out of it. Look at Hammer back in the sixties; they made movies with a similar premise but they actually cared about creating something audiences would enjoy. Today's producers seem to think a novel title is all they need. To add to the overall cynical feel of this film, we get the dreaded and uncalled for "extra dimension". I was hoping to avoid wearing 3D glasses in 2013 but, less than two months in, my plans have been scuppered. As you all know, I'm no fan of the gimmick but some film-makers know how to use it to a certain degree. Wirkola does nothing to justify its implementation here. Most of the movie is set at night which renders the screen particularly murky when viewed through a pair of dark glasses. It makes for Grimm viewing indeed.

• Bradley W

  
  Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is a mess of a film that is a pure example of Hollywood trying to empty our wallets by presenting us with trash. Early in 2012 the film "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" was released and it was about the great Abe Lincoln fighting off evil… More
  Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is a mess of a film that is a pure example of Hollywood trying to empty our wallets by presenting us with trash. Early in 2012 the film "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" was released and it was about the great Abe Lincoln fighting off evil vampires and it was so ridiculous that I couldn't take it seriously, but this film is about a brother and sister from an old folk tale teaming together to fight witches, and this time it's even worse. This film takes a great actor like Jeremy Renner and takes his career down a step, and it makes me angry because this Oscar-nominated actor is so much better than crap like this. I don't understand why anybody would want to make this film other than money; I mean even the title sounds like it's going to be dumb. This film has so cool action sequences, so if that's all you care about you will be pleased, but this film just didn't entertain me and I was constantly looking at my phone to see what time I could finally leave. I enjoy stupid action films when they don't try to be more than they are, but this film feels like all they wanted to do was throw some big action on screen and steal our cash, and since people love stupid fantasy action films like this, they will more than likely succeed. This movie reminded me of terrible fantasy action films like "Season of the Witch" or the recent "Conan the Barbarian," mainly because films like this have no other reason to exist other than to show off some big budget action scenes and have no substance or soul in the storytelling. It even seems like they are trying to make a franchise here, but hopefully the producers will come to their senses and not make a mess like this again. Director/Writer Tommy Wirkola gives us a complete piece of trash that ruins a classic folk tale and tries to make it only appealing to naive teenagers. So overall, if you are looking for something special or original, you will not find it with this film. The story follows Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) who, after killing a witch who was trying to eat them as kids, decide to dedicate their lives to killing witches. But they must face the challenge of a lifetime when the witch queen threatens a small village. The plot of this film almost bored me to tears, as its writing and dialogue couldn't have angered me more. The Brothers Grimm would be rolling over in their grave if they saw what there classic story has become. I could predict what happens in this movie even before it would happen, and it's sad when a film can be that predictable and soulless. I never cared about any of the characters, and if truth be told I kind of stopped caring about who lived or died within the first 15 minutes. Hansel is big and has diabetes, and Gretel is good looking and smart, and that description is pretty much all the personality the characters have in this film. They really have nothing that makes them special or interesting; they have big weapons and a lot of cliché dialogue. I must admit I am a little prejudice with this movie, mainly because I expected that it would be a mess before I even walked into the theater. But after seeing this film my suspicions were proven to be true, that this film was just a waste of time. What could they possibly have been thinking when writing the script to this film? It seems like they just didn't care or even try to make this a good movie. They just asked themselves "what can we do to steal money from the audience and give them a worthless waste of time?" Then I am guess that somebody recommend that they ruin a classic folk tale about children and a witch. Next thing you know they will be making the film "Red Riding Hood: Werewolf Killer." Films like this make me scared for the future of Hollywood and storytelling. The cast of this film really can't be taken seriously; I mean I could've cared less on whom any of these people were. Jeremy Renner really is the only name worth mentioning, because he is the only actor that is actually talented. It's this reason why I am angry that we would make such a dumb career move. His performance wasn't bad, in fact he saves the film in a lot of ways, but he just shouldn't have been in this in the first place. Gemma Arterton will never be taken seriously; she is all looks and no talent. When I watched her I tried to look past her terrible acting, but it's tough to ignore the star of the film. I hope she just sticks to supporting roles for now on. Fammke Janssen gives one of the most forgettable performances I have seen in a long time, and I hope this is the last time I have to hear from her. Thomas Mann didn't give a bad performance, but it really just wasn't a memorable one either. Pihla Viitala also gave an unmemorable performance, and her chemistry with Renner just didn't work for a second and just made me laugh. Overall the cast as pretty much as bad as I predicted, but I still hope that Renner doesn't make a decision like this ever again. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is a sad and sorry excuse for a movie, and I hope that I never have to experience it again. I realize this film isn't trying to be a masterpiece, but the script is just so ridiculous and the action is so unoriginal that I just didn't feel connected to it. We are in the year 2013 now, so it's very rare to see an action film that can show us something that we haven't seen before. When I saw "The Avengers" I was impressed because Joss Whedon gave us an action film with actual action sequences that I had never seen before, and so I loved it. But this film gives us brutal action that we have seen hundreds of times before so I was never really engaged in it or interested in it. Most people don't really have standards when they see a film like this, so they might love it just because they got the worthless action that they were promised. As for me, I like to see movies that don't ruin classic childhood stories. I mean once I saw that they are using guns in the trailer, I knew instantly that this would be a mess. I hope most people will realize that this is just a pointless waste of time and money, but instead I am in content with accepting that this film will not be remembered within a year. I always hate the start of a new year for movies, because after seeing so many great films we are left with trash like this for the next few months. I think what I hated most of all about this film is that Jeremy Renner agreed to be in it, and he is so much better than crap like this. I hope he makes better choices in the future, because I really don't want to see his career go downhill. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is an easy film to forget, and I hope that you have a better time than I did with this garbage.

• Caesar M

  
  Director and writer Tommy Wirkola felt the urge to expand on a simple fairy-tale that needed no film adaptation of any kind. It's allot more fun than one might expect, but then you remember Hollywood made Hansel and Gretel into a fantasy action movie. Hansel and Gretel: Witch… More
  Director and writer Tommy Wirkola felt the urge to expand on a simple fairy-tale that needed no film adaptation of any kind. It's allot more fun than one might expect, but then you remember Hollywood made Hansel and Gretel into a fantasy action movie. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is about the title duo hunting witches and clearing their of a crime they didn't commit. The first seven minutes tells the classic fairy-tale story which serves as an origin to when the duo decided to become "Witch Hunters". These first seven minute gives you an indication on why the movie won't work. It takes itself too seriously and attempts to be dark and gritty. The movie is plague with questionable decisions like. Why did Jeremy Renner resort to milk bottles to fight a witch? Why did the witch throw chickens in a fight when she so clearly has magical powers? I don't know, but these questions are the least of your worries. Another problem with the movie is that it's standard and predictable. There is never a sense of danger; you always know the heroes will come out on top. There's also a romance aspect to the movie which goes underdeveloped. There's many things I never expected to see in a Hansel and Gretel movie, one of them being able to see a naked woman. One aspect of the plot that felt like a slap to the face is the twist before the climax. It's "Hansel and Gretel" there is no point to making the film complicated with a twist. It has some good humor, but even that is ruined with some of the bad dialogue. My favorite being a scene when some stranger blows up in a pub and some character says "AWESOME". There's a recurring joke that serves as a plot point to on Hansel eating to much candy as a kid, though the movies nor audience cares about that. I would go into detail with the hinted romance between Gretel and a Troll, but I'm more enrage with the endings that leads up to a sequel. It has some good moments, although it's standard stuff that you've seen a million times before in other action movies. Believe or not the film has some good actions scenes. The action scenes are brutal filled with blood and gore. This movie has allot of blood and gore than anyone might expect. Heads are smashed, heads are decapitated, witches are shot at, people explode, and many more entertaining gory moments. If there is anything I would criticize that's not story related are the weapons. Seriously, we shotguns, pistols, and a mini-gun which don't belong in the time period at all. Also can't forget about the 3D. The 3D sucks and it's very generic. It's just arrow, blood, among other things just being thrown at you. The use of 3D is so poor I almost forgot it was in 3D most of the time. As for the cast they are decent. Jeremy Renner did prove he could be a capable action star in some of his previous roles. Here he's just looks ridiculous fighting in a cookie house, using milk bottles as weapons, and being dragged by witches flying on their broom. Famke Janssen nailed her role as the main villain. Famke Janssen doesn't get allot of screen time, but she's steals show every time she's on screen. Gemma Arterton who plays Gretel is basically there to look pretty, though she was very fun to watch because she didn't take her role too seriously. The cast makes it enjoyable and it does contain some solid action scenes, but it's still base on a fairy-tale that needed none of that. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is could been stupid fun at times, but is more stupid than actually being entertaining. One could complain about this not being a faithful adaptation, attempting to be dark, but it's ultimately a predictable standard action movie disguise as a gritty fairy-tale.

• Cameron J

  
  Man, Jeremy Renner appears to be getting used to kicking some serious butt with advanced arrow weaponry, which is good for the filmmaker who, for whatever reason, want you to think of this as "Van Helsing II: The Grimm Adventures of Hansel and Gretel", only, you know,… More
  Man, Jeremy Renner appears to be getting used to kicking some serious butt with advanced arrow weaponry, which is good for the filmmaker who, for whatever reason, want you to think of this as "Van Helsing II: The Grimm Adventures of Hansel and Gretel", only, you know, without vampires or werewolves, just witches... as well as more leather, more over-the-top gore, more anachronistic swearing, more modern weaponry, more diabetes (Yes, you read that right), more posing, less accents, and, of course, support from MTV Films that MTV Films just barely even admitted to. Wow, forget the Germans, as Tommy Wirkola is continuing to show that it's the Norwegians who are really crazy, or at least have some serious beef with the West Germanic, because as if killing a bunch of zombie Nazis in "Dead Snow" wasn't enough for Wirkola, now you've got unrest within the graves of the Brothers Grimm. So yeah, this film makes no attempt to take itself seriously like "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" kind of did, but I still think it would be kind of interesting to get that one crossover film in which Hansel, Gretel and good ol' Honest Abe go around, taking out witches, vampires... Loki and aliens alongside Thor, Hulk, Captain America and Iron Man. Sorry, it's just hard to not think of Jeremy Renner in a crossover film and not think of "The Avengers", but alas, don't go expecting "The Historical Accuracy Anti-Avengers", certainly not because Lincoln came along long after Hansel's and Gretel's day, - because as this film will tell you, time plays a factor in essentially nothing - but because Lincoln and Gretel wouldn't get along, what with Gemma Arterton's being a vampire. Seriously, Neil Jordan, what in the world is taking so long with "Byzantium"? I hope it's good, because I need to wash the taste of this film out of my mouth, or at least that's what I expected to say before seeing this film, because as stupid as this is, it's kind of entertaining. Still, make no mistake, this film is stupid, and while that's probably the final product's biggest issue, it's not the only flaw here. When thinking about ways to describe this mess of a film, the first thing that comes to mind is, well, "stupid", but a close second is, well, "goofy", with a very, very close third being, of course, "generic", for although you shouldn't expect this film to put all that much effort into keeping things refreshing, especially since there is a very real possibility that it is coming out this quickly while the superficial, decidedly non-historian crowd is still buzzing about "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter", very few, if any stones to film have been turned, and as much as you can probably run with this film's ostensibly active dismissal of originality, it's only a matter of time before you find yourself too thrown off by this film's cliched structure and, of course, often terrible, trite dialogue. It's near-impossible to not see where this goofball mini-blockbuster is heading, and such genericism is made a bit more forgivable by the final product's being unpretentiously tongue-in-cheek, yet it nevertheless distances you from a paper-thin "plot" that recieves enough heavy blows from a bit of unevenness in characterization focus, which is generally careless, maybe even too much so, but occasionally tries to flesh out something that it generally tries so hard to keep thin, and such occasions only reflect just how offputtingly thin this non-plot is. I'm not asking for a well-rounded drama, or even something as committed as "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter", but I would like to at least have some investment in things, whose lack of meat is generally compensated for by the style that is the final product's primary priority, but made a bit too glaring by moments in which the film fails to fully filter out substance. Still, make no bones about it, this film is most definately much more interested in style and dark self-satire than substance, and boy, does it make sure that you don't forget it, supplementing the goofiness that drives it with over-the-top gore, anachronisms - particularly in the dialogue department, which has the audacity to frequently force in modern slang and profanity - and, yes, even overblown overexpansions of the "Hansel & Gretel" mythology, whose expansions even go so far as to crowbar in an aspect that sees Hansel with diabetes, and, even sillier, medicated diabetes at that (They didn't market insulin until the 1920s, and yet, here it is, just because), until what you're left with is a self-aware joke that would work better if it didn't get so carried away. It's the somewhat charming lack of pretense and fair degree of entertainment value that gets the film by, because it's self-satire certainly isn't well-handled enough to work as clever, being either shamelessly overemphatic and overdone, or even too undercooked to work all that well as a parody, and a somewhat rather unnecessary one at that, coming off as, not simply cheesy, but stupid. The film has enough going for it to keep it from plummeting into disaster on the wings of its goofiness, and outside of the goofiness, there's not too much to complain about here, but that only means that there's only so much to the film, which is too thin for its own good as surely as it is too over-the-top for its own good, and ultimately collapses as underwhelming. That being said, as messy as this film is, it ultimately escapes the low levels in likability that I expected it to succumb to, being flawed as all get-out, but reasonably entertaining, with more than a few undeniable commendable beats. The great Hans Zimmer supervises the soundtrack that his "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" score co-author Atli Örvarsson stocks up with his own original score, and I use the term, "original" loosely, because this film wouldn't exactly be doing its job as a thoroughly generic flick if it didn't feature formulaic music, which isn't to say that you can't still commend Örvarsson for his efforts, conventional though they may be, as they color things up with an actually kind of tasteful marriage of fairy tale soul and dark flavor that helps in selling certain areas of this film's theme and entertains by its own right. Needless to say, outside of decent occasions in Michael Bonvillain's cinematography, tastefulness in this film ends with Örvarsson's score, which, even then, gets to be a bit too stylish at times, as well as, as I said, consistently conventional, and yet, it is just one of the fair deal of genuinely well-done aspects to this messy film, which at least has enough integrity to accel on a technical level. The design of the film's world and costumes is hardly rich enough to stand a chance of doing all that sharp of a job at reinforcing the selling of this often contradicted era, but it is nifty enough to immerse you in this environment, while the effects, both practical and digital, prove to be convincing and refreshingly-crafted enough to breathe further life into the selling of this film's world and style. At the very least, the effects breathe quite a bit of life into the flashiness of the action sequences, which range from neat to, well, actually pretty awesome, being slickly and dynamically well-staged, with a raw thrill factor that is complimented by the gleefully over-the-top gore. Oh man, this film is violent, and if you can stomach that, it's just fine, because the film's shameless - nay - delightfully active imagination for gore and nasty visuals just go to show just how audacious this film is as something that wishes to, at the very least entertain, and while substance issues get to be a bit too hard to deny, especially when self-mockery and style go a little too far, the final product isn't really afraid to tell it like it is, and that's kind of what saves it. Make no mistake, this film is stupid something fierce, and way too often not on purpose, and there's really not all that much to compliment about the final product outside of substance (Hey, even when he's obviously uninterested in the role, Jeremy Renner is kind of charming, and Gemma Arterton certainly provides some nice eye candy), but nothing else can be said about the film, it's unpretentious, not being as desparate as I feared it was going to be in selling you on its goofy tastes, yet still having enough ambition to produce something of a moderate degree of charm, which, when bonded with the film's lively style and constant pacing, produces undeniable entertainment value, and enough of it to keep you from getting too disinterested. Now, I'm not saying that I wish that this film had more going for it, because, come on, it's a wacky, almost high scool boyish what-if look at the future of Hansel and Gretel as leather-wearing, modern weaponry-using and slightly potty-mouthed witch hunters for goodness' sake, but it does get to be a bit too goofy for its own good, yet where the final product could have fallen flat as the mediocre, maybe even bad misfire that I feared it was going to be and that most critics are saying it is, there is enough style and unpretentious entertainment value to this wacky ride to make it fairly watchable. Overall, genericisms and a bit too much thinness in the substance department are bound to throw you off eventually, though not nearly as much as the goofy self-satire, which gets to be too carried away, overambitious and, well, stupid to keep mediocrity entirely at bay with this film, which is still able to battle back mediocrity enough to stand as reasonably decent, having enough taste in the score department, niftiness to the technical and action departments, and entertainment value, spawned from the unpretentious charm that drives "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters" as a reasonably fun popcorn flick, if you can get past the stupidity that is. 2.5/5 - Fair

• Joshua S

  
  Derivative and utterly predictable, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is a prime example of what many modern internet critics call F*** YOU!!! ITS JANUARY/FEBRUARY!!! WE HAVE NOTHING. KEEP SHOVING POPCORN IN YOUR FACE AND ENJOY!!! And this comes in spite of a couple of decent, gory… More
  Derivative and utterly predictable, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is a prime example of what many modern internet critics call F*** YOU!!! ITS JANUARY/FEBRUARY!!! WE HAVE NOTHING. KEEP SHOVING POPCORN IN YOUR FACE AND ENJOY!!! And this comes in spite of a couple of decent, gory action set pieces, neat steam punk weaponry, and two attractive, fun lead characters. (Yes, Gemma Arterton and Jeremy Renner look good in leather. Especially the former.) Aside from those notes, this is commercial diarrhea incarnate.

• Jeff B

  
  A witch of a flick that falls on its duff despite a great cast keeping tongues planted firmly in cheek, this giddily gory Hansel & Gretel redux hunts up a very fractured fairy tale. A Gothic horror reimagining of Little Red Hiding Hood and gritty action-packed redo of Snow White… More
  A witch of a flick that falls on its duff despite a great cast keeping tongues planted firmly in cheek, this giddily gory Hansel & Gretel redux hunts up a very fractured fairy tale. A Gothic horror reimagining of Little Red Hiding Hood and gritty action-packed redo of Snow White preceded this go-round, but both predecessors lacked a Grimm sense of humor. Oh, Witch Hunters tries boasting this tone in spades, but it's ultimately just a predictable period action flick with plenty of blood and salty barbs just for the sake of both. Simply put, the movie's a mother of a goose that works neither as a fantasy adventure nor as a parody of the same. Despite a trim 88 minute running time, the overly stylistic approach to an uncomplicated story just won't keep audiences invested in story time. In this PG-13-rated adventure comedy, grown-up siblings Hansel and Gretel (Renner, Arterton) take vengeance on the gingerbread house-dwelling witch (Famke Janssen) who tried to eat them as children. After giving ace support in several A-List blockbusters (The Town, Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, The Avengers), Renner assumes the mantle of headliner with a deathly serious take that's deadpan hilarious. Also, after getting relegated to damsel duty in the Clash of the Titans remake and Price of Persia: The Sands of Time, Arterton is finally allowed to kick ass like the best of them. Here, they act like a well-oiled H'Wood buddy cop team, which may've worked were they not saddled with this fantastically miscalculated mash-up from writer/director Tommy Wirkola. Bottom line: Dunce upon a time.

• Lane Z

  
  Heavy on the CGI and bland but chuckle-worthy dialogue, Hansel and Gretel it a joke within itself. "A Classic Tale with a New Twist" they say. Gemma, Jeremy and Famke get the lead roles and acting and dialogue both are over the top silliness. Peter Stormare seems to be in… More
  Heavy on the CGI and bland but chuckle-worthy dialogue, Hansel and Gretel it a joke within itself. "A Classic Tale with a New Twist" they say. Gemma, Jeremy and Famke get the lead roles and acting and dialogue both are over the top silliness. Peter Stormare seems to be in a lot of movies I've seen lately and he may be in the running for most deaths in movies to rival Sean Bean. It wasn't a bad film. At times the CGI took focus off the action at points, but the fight scenes worked. Thank god it was rated R to give it that comedic edge parodies like this need.

• Philip P

  
  Where to even begin with something such as Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters? To be honest I was somewhat excited for this film despite the fact knowing going into it that it was probably going to be pretty horrible. I read the Seth Grahame-Smith novel Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter… More
  Where to even begin with something such as Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters? To be honest I was somewhat excited for this film despite the fact knowing going into it that it was probably going to be pretty horrible. I read the Seth Grahame-Smith novel Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter last spring in anticipation of the summer film adaptation but was sorely let down by that film (though it has improved to a fun, campy thrill on repeat viewings). It must have really burned the producers of this film to see that action/horror mash-up make it out of the gate first as their film has been complete for over a year now and has been doing little more than collecting dust. Why the delay? I can only imagine. I can't really see this film being much better after a years worth of tinkering and the 3D post conversion doesn't take THAT long; I can only think that after the release of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol the producers wanted to wait out 2012 and let Jeremy Renner become even bigger star with The Avengers and The Bourne Legacy which might guarantee them a bigger draw when they dropped it on unsuspecting movie-goers in late January. The strategy seems to have worked as Hansel and Gretel cleaned up at the box office and have proven that with a ridiculous, even outrageous premise one might still find an audience in those looking to see their favorite childhood fairy tales adapted for the big screen with a dark twist about them. The film is about as brainless as you might expect, but I would be lying if I said I didn't have a pretty great time with the film as it flew by at a rip roaring pace and delivered grand entertainment value on a limited scale. I know it's dumb, I realize it will be completely forgotten about in a few weeks time, but I also know I became immersed in their world and didn't mind spending the hour and a half they required tagging along and killing some witches. read the whole review at www.reviewsfromabed.com

• Christopher H

  
  While partaking in "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" I had a few revelations. For starters, there are not enough R rated fantasy films being made. As tawdry as this film could sometimes come off, there was enough blood, nudity, and violence to satisfy in the most menial but… More
  While partaking in "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" I had a few revelations. For starters, there are not enough R rated fantasy films being made. As tawdry as this film could sometimes come off, there was enough blood, nudity, and violence to satisfy in the most menial but effective ways. Also, the use of actuals for the creature the Troll was a nice addition and proves that actual effects still outweigh CGI in quality. Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton are beyond talented, which helps keep this fantasy film from falling off the deep end. Arterton is as gorgeous as always, nabbing the spotlight in all of her scenes, while Renner keeps his role grounded and commands most of his fast-paced action sequences. Allowing the film some self-awareness, with characters often speaking for the audience ("you've got to be f***ing kidding me"), keeps this film from becoming too serious. And an intense score from Hans Zimmer gives the film some class. Obviously this is a film about a fairytale, but to completely spin it into a killer, adult-oriented action film, and do so effectively was quite the risk and to me it pays off. And at a run-time of 88 minutes, who can complain with an action film that picks up and never lets go?

• Magnus X

  
  Not bad, but not great either. It could have been a lot better if they did it much more serious like Snow White. Instead it´s more a camp action adventure.

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