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: Happy Feet Two

Happy Feet Two. Rated G (very mild sense of threat). 103 minutes. Directed by George Miller. Screenplay by George Miller, Gary Eck, Warren Coleman and Paul Livingston.

When Happy Feet (2006) won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film in 2007, it came as no surprise to anyone who had seen it. The story of Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood) the little tap-dancing, misfit penguin was a captivating visual and musical treat. Without his ‘heartsong’ (the unique song that penguins sing to attract a mate), Mumble’s adult life within the penguin colony would be one of loneliness and despair. This simple and effective storyline powered an immensely engaging film about difference – even managing to incorporate a powerful environmental theme without turning audiences off. And the final scene of Happy Feet is the birth of Mumble and Gloria’s (voiced by the late Brittany Murphy) baby Erik – who is the undisputed the star of Happy Feet Two.

Voiced by Ava Acres, Erik is the epitome of cute – and while Erik’s travails are similar but less compelling than Mumble’s were in the first movie, they are the sequel’s pulse. Matt Damon and Brad Pitt voice the Laurel and Hardy-esque pair of Krill – Bill and Will – while Robin Williams returns as the scene-stealing Ramon and Alecia Beth Moore (better known as Pink) takes over the role of Gloria in fine voice, with her “Bridge of Light” the absolute musical highlight.

When an ecological calamity isolates the emperor penguin colony from their food source and leaves their baby penguins exposed to the feared seabird predators (the skuas) – the plot to free them becomes protracted and, ultimately, tired and tiring. The sequences involving Bill and Will (while stunning in 3D) serve primarily as distractions from the main game, and with only a couple of exceptions, the film deliberately steers well away from involving drama. The story of Sven (Hank Azaria) – which takes up a good third of the film – feels desperately over-worked, while the subplot involving Bryan the Elephant Seal (Richard Carter) and his children is beautifully done.

Ultimately, Happy Feet Two still dazzles with its singular visual finesse, even if the overall result is one of a heavy-handed, unevenness that makes it a shadow of its predecessor and a good deal less memorable.

This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.