'The Last Witch Hunter' - Movie Review

'The Last Witch Hunter' narrative is densely over-plotted with other-worldly incidents both magical and radical. It's convoluted and has hallucinatory overtures that take you off course every time. The story itself lacks consistency and the visual architecture here reigns supreme over everything else

'The Last Witch Hunter'
A; Action/Fantasy
Director: Breck Eisner
Cast: Vin Diesel, Rose Leslie, Elijah Wood, Michael Caine
Rating: 

'Constantine' it's not. A 800 plus year old (accursed with immortality by the Queen Witch) witch hunter, Kaulder(Vin Diesel) has been tracking down witches for centuries with the help of Dolan. The current, 26th one,(Michael Caine) is ageing and may soon meet his maker so an upstart(Elijah Wood) is set to be anointed as the 27th Dolan. With the sudden and supposedly unexpected near-death of the 26th Dolan, a mystery is to be unearthed and Kaulder has to look to his past to find the answer to his existence in the future.

'The Last Witch Hunter' poster. Pic/Santa Banta

A brittle hallucinatory story of ancient evils and modern chicanery, this film does little other than fall prey to generic conventions in order to score it's jollies. Fantasy and mystery get mashed up in this attempt to fashion a dark-superstition propelled endeavor that pits an exterminator against evil forces out to end the world dominance of the Good. While Vin Diesel is apt for the role of a world weary cynical Kaulder with his enigmatic expressionism and miserly verbosity, Michael Caine appears lost and Elijah Wood, seems to be bungling around in this travesty.

The narrative is densely over-plotted with other-worldly incidents both magical and radical. It's convoluted and has hallucinatory overtures that take you off course every time. The story itself lacks consistency and the visual architecture here reigns supreme over everything else. CGI, animation, graphics take centre-stage and it's not of any high order either. It's a measured take but the depth is suspect. The action does not garner any adrenaline rush. It's all typically dopey and unreal. But what really distinguishes this one from the others of it's ilk is the pace. Eisner allows for some contemplation and space between action events and gives us time to wade in searching for deeper meaning. But of course, rest assured, you are not going to find any. At least you are saved from having to sit through a mad rush of indistinct action heavy hi-jinks that leave a bad taste in your mouths.

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