Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters 3D

Hansel (Cedric Eich) and Gretel (Alea Sophia Boudodimos) are the children of a poor woodcutter.  Times are tough and the woodcutter’s 2^nd wife decides that it is better to do away with the children and gets the woodcutter to leave them in the jungle.  On the 2^nd attempt, they succeed and the children get captured by a witch who eats children.  The brave kids however, manage to stay alive and in fact kill the witch in her own oven.  They then use the witch’s riches to stay happily ever after.

 

That was the fairy tale.  Now go back a little bit.  Times weren’t too tough.  The woodcutter leaves the kids in the woods without an push from his wife.  The kids are perplexed throughout as to why they were left.  A witch captures them and gets roasted in the oven.  A few years go by and now Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) are professional witch hunters – and very famous ones at that.  Cool premise right? I thought so too.

 

So H&G come over to this village where some kids have been disappearing a little too frequently for anyone’s comfort.  And no one has a clue to who is responsible.  The Sheriff Berringer (Peter Stormare) would like to put the blame on a random woman but H&G come in on time and save the woman’s life.  Soon enough they find out that it is a grand witch Muriel (Famke Janssen) behind the disappearance and that 1 more is required along with G’s heart for the night of the Red Moon.

 

H&G is a good departure from the standard animation fairy tale.  Snow White did it last year and I guess H&G is setting a trend of sorts.  It is good to see these twists.  More importantly, these are twists that make some sense and not for the sake of following the crowd. 

 

H&G keeps afloat due to the merit of its special effects.  The changes of Muriel’s face from that of Famke Janssen to a Grand Dark Witch is very well done.  Also heartening to see 3D looking good in India.  Is it due to the technology change or that H&G had the right use of 3D at the right places.  Maybe a combination of both.

 

Don’t look for the performances simply because there aren’t any to speak of.  Tommy Wirkola could have tried his best but then Renner and Arterton are average actors.  Wirkola doesn’t need to blame anyone for that.  The movie needed an average cast and spending too much money on a huge star cast would not have changed its fortunes.  But, H&G is a good movie for the weekend.  Have a dekko when you can.  6 on 10.

 

Trailer on http://www.youtube.com/user/bigpictures?v=fmOBx6jS3Fc