[yasr_overall_rating]
The Last Witch Hunter is all that stands between humanity and the combined forces of the most horrifying witches in history.
I like Vin Diesel. Ever since I first saw him in “Saving Private Ryan” and heard his low-pitched, resonant voice in “The Iron Giant,” the man made a positive impression on me. Follow that up with the electrifying “Pitch Black,” the original “The Fast and the Furious” and a new action franchise, “XXX,” it appeared that Mr. Diesel had come into his own. Each of these movies were followed up with successful sequels, particularly the “Fast and Furious” series and a new “XXX” movie will go into production soon and with his voice work as the CGI character Groot in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” one could assume that Mr. Diesel could do no wrong. Well, “The Last Witch Hunter” might just be the film to prove that theory false.
Mr. Diesel does a fine job but everyone and everything else, like the CGI characters that crumble around him, deteriorate into conventional ludicrousness and it is a true testament to Mr. Diesel’s likability and drawing power, that he is able to keep the story as engaging as he does, for as long as he does. Even the added star power of Michael Caine and Elijah Wood are not enough to keep us properly engaged and truth be told, their characters are so poorly written that they could have been played by any other actor and after the final credits begin to roll, you begin to wish that they had.
The story begins in the 13th century with Kaulder (Vin Diesel), the leader of a small band of warriors, searching for the one who cursed their village and killed his wife and daughter, the evil Witch Queen (Julie Engelbrecht). After defeating her witches in battle, Kaulder thrusts his sword through her but before she dies, she curses him to a life of immortality. We then cut to present day New York where Kaulder works with Father Dolan (Michael Caine), a priest who is part of a secret society that protects the world from the bad witches that live among us. As he is getting ready to retire, a new younger priest, Elijah Wood, is brought in as his successor and it is right around this time that strange things begin to transpire and Kaulder quickly discovers that the Witch Queen is on the verge of being resurrected, seeking revenge against the one who stopped her all those years ago.
From the beginning, the movie plays it safe and never rises above mediocrity. It never once strives for bigger and better, choosing instead to err on the side of caution and turning what could have been a really enjoyable fantasy film, into archetypal nonsense. Mr. Diesel, at least, appears to be having fun, a big change from his constantly stoic and contemplative Dominic Toretto in the “Fast and Furious” franchise. You would think a movie that bestows upon us, the combined talents of Vin Diesel, Michael Caine and Elijah Wood would at least possess some sort of energy but it just goes to show, with the right cast and the wrong script, banality prevails.
In theaters now
