Film Review: The Last Witch Hunter

The Last Witch Hunter. Rated M (supernatural themes and violence). 106 minutes. Directed by Breck Eisner. Screenplay by Cory Goodman, Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless.

Cursed with immortality for preventing the Witch Queen (Julie Engelbrecht) from wiping out humanity with a deadly plague during the Middle Ages, witch hunter Kaulder (Vin Diesel) now tries to keep the peace between witches and humans in the modern world.

Accompanied by priests (known as Dolans) from a secret witch hunting organisation, Kaulder realises that traces of dark magic are beginning to appear. When the 36th Dolan (Michael Caine) suddenly vanishes in what was obviously a violent struggle, it becomes clear that the Witch Queen and her followers are planning their revenge.

On paper, The Last Witch Hunter would have looked like a sure-fire hit. As he has proved with his successful Fast and the Furious and The Chronicles of Riddick films, Diesel is a capable and charismatic star. Even though his range as an actor is limited, he always knows how to give his devoted fans everything they want.

The final result on screen, however, is a different matter. It all begins promisingly, with a great (if very dark) opening sequence in which Kaulder and the Witch Queen fight to the ‘death’. But once we arrive in modern times, the script becomes jumbled and confused. In Caine’s sudden absence, Elijah Wood (The Lord of The Rings) becomes the 37th Dolan before he, too, is given less and less to do.

Apart from a couple of well-staged sequences overloaded with CGI, the film’s real interest lies in the character of Chloe (Rose Leslie), a ‘dream walker’, who accompanies Kaulder into the dream state of his past. Leslie is a great match for the smouldering Diesel, and in many of their scenes together, we get a real sense of the fascinating film The Last Witch Hunter might have been.

This review was commissioned by the West Australian Newspaper Group.

Film Review: Dracula Untold

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Dracula Untold. Rated M (horror themes and violence). 92 minutes. Directed by Gary Shore. Screenplay by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless.

Verdict: This dark and brooding drama about how Dracula came into existence falls short of the mark.

Since Irish author Bram Stoker created Count Dracula in his 1897 novel Dracula, the character has inspired the imaginations of film and television makers around the world. He has been enjoying something of a renaissance, thanks largely to Charlaine Harris’ The Southern Vampire Mysteries novels (adapted for television as True Blood) and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series.

In Dracula Untold, we have a bold reimagining of how the character came to be, and a confident debut from fellow Irishman Shore. Sazama and Sharpless’ also debut with their screenplay, and the film’s grand ambition and its many flaws, in equal measure, can be attributed to this fact.

Basing their screenplay on the legendary Vlad the Impaler, the writers have created an interesting story about how Vlad (Luke Evans) encounters Master Vampire (Charles Dance) in a cave, high up in the mountains. Vlad, who is desperate to save his people from the marauding Turkish army, makes a deal with the Master that if he can have the powers of a vampire for three days, he will be able to single-handedly defeat his enemies, and ensure that his young son, his wife and his loyal followers are safe from harm. What Vlad must not do during his time as a vampire is consume human blood. If he does, he will remain one forever.

Cinematographer John Schwartzman (Saving Mr. Banks, The Amazing Spider-Man, Pearl Harbor, Armageddon), ensures that the film looks great, while the visual effects department over-use the ‘Vlad turning into bats’ sequence to the point of tedium. While it falls well short of being the unforgettable entry into the cinematic world of Dracula it might have been, there is certainly much to admire about its gothic horror pretensions.

This review was commissioned by the West Australian Newspaper Group.