Once upon a time...hang on....Once upon a time that never...
Once upon a time...hang on....Once upon a time that never was...that's a bit more accurate. If a witch hunkered down over her cauldron and mixed in equal portions of Army of Darkness, The Wild Wild West, First Knight and Xena Warrior Princess, the concoction that would result would be named Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. What a delightful surprise this movie was. It is unabashadly over the top silly fun. You remember the siblings from the fairy tale, taken into the woods and abandoned only to find a house made of candy? What happens to them after they defeat the witch there? Well if your thinking they turn into a pair ultra kick ass bounty hunters who hunt down witches with ruthless abandon, you would be right! And bad ass they are. Armed with improbably weapons and gadgets and the ability to soak damage not seen out of a super hero comic, they lay waste any and all dabblers in the dark arts they come across. It really nails the tone it is going for. The actors strike the right level of playing it straight but not taking it too seriously. The fight scenes are well choreographed and you can actually follow what is going on, such a welcome change from many recent movies. There is lots of gore but it is almost cartoonish in tone so that you groan and chuckle rather become horrified. And you know what else? The story is pretty good as well.
Netflix Status: Not yet. I saw it On-demand. Best 6 bucks I spent this week.