DOUBLEFEATUREPREACHERS
  • Home
    • David's Reviews
    • Shannon's Reviews
    • DFP Reviews
  • Browse
  • About
  • Contact

The Last Witch Hunter - D

3/24/2017

0 Comments

 
Quick Hit: A movie about a geeky Vin Diesel hanging around with Ygritte from Game of Thrones.

Picture
I really wanted this movie to work, because Dungeons and Dragons has had some good years recently. It popped up in Stranger Things (arguably had one of the starring roles) and there have been some good episodes of The Big Bang Theory featuring it as well. So, when I heard that this film was based on Diesel’s own experience in playing D&D, I was fairly optimistic.

I was very, very wrong.

There are a lot of problems with The Last Witch Hunter, but the first is this: it’s largely very dull. That’s not to say that the story itself is that bad – the story of an immortal witch hunter who is helped by a Catcholic order that helps keep the peace between witches and warlocks and the rest of the world is pretty intriguing. But the dialogue is really clunky at times, and the entire air of the movie is wasted in this epic seriousness.

Picture
Solid Beard Game Vin.
Which, on one level I understand. D&D is not really a happy go lucky game filled with humor. Neither is the story of a man who has literally seen everyone he loves die. But we’re talking about magic here. And that is the one thing that the movie gets right. Instead of the traditional magic where you see wands and cauldrons, ancient books (nothing again Doctor Strange) and the like, here we see incredible magical spells. They’re represented by gummy bear trees, by butterflies taking flight, and by instant aging. Some of these are really impressive effects, and it’s a shame that they got buried so deep in the movie.

Inevitably, the movie ends up chained to some of the effects in the worst way. The final showdown with the witch is really anti-climatic. It builds and builds and there is even some decent tension, and then we just get a terrible terrible, listless, sequel attempting ending. Why couldn’t this movie just allow itself to be full without trying to set up for more? I really wanted less set up and more of Vin Diesel being... well awesome.

Picture
Vin: "You know nothing.." Rose: "Don't you even say it"
The acting isn’t bad, though Elijah Wood is laughable and Michael Caine spends most of the movie playing dead. Vin Diesel is solid, with his natural look and his voice playing perfectly to the role. And I honestly liked the inclusion of Rose Leslie. I liked her power set (though didn’t like how we hadn’t heard of it for an entire hour into the movie), and I thought she served as a good foil for Diesel’s rough and tough. Honestly though, I found myself continuing to say “You know nothing Jon Snow – You know nothing Khaldar” in my best Ygritte impression.

Should you watch this movie? If you want my honest opinion, no, no you should not. But hey, it’s a fantasy movie that strives to be different – instead of terrible effects with a decent story, it does the exact opposite. This one is a “D” from me guys.

Picture
For more on this film, check out IMDB.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    David

    ​"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" 
                      -Jack Torrance                         (Shining)

    Categories

    All
    Action
    Animated
    Based On A True Story
    Comedy
    Crime
    Drama
    Family
    Fantasy
    Horror/Thriller
    Musical
    Mystery
    Romance
    Science Fiction
    Superhero
    Western

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
    • David's Reviews
    • Shannon's Reviews
    • DFP Reviews
  • Browse
  • About
  • Contact