Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters - C

Rated R, 88 minutes

"Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" a junky, mildly entertaining ride

"Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" should be a treat for those who enjoy fractured fairy tales. Based loosely on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, this revisionist tale is part horror, part fairly tale, and peppered with enough action, witches and gore to make this guilty-pleasure fun. After getting a taste for blood as children, Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) have become the ultimate vigilantes, hell bent on retribution. Now unbeknownst to them, Hansel and Gretel have become the hunted, facing their past and a pretty evil witch (Famke Janssen) who seems to have to the upper hand. This "Hansel and Gretel" is definitely not for kids, though there's some fun to be had. The worst thing about this mash up isn't the thin storyline, slack direction or the cardboard characters, but the fact that it isn't scary or fun enough. That comes as a surprise, given the producers are, quite oddly, Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, who could've infused more tongue-in-cheek humor to lighten the load. Instead the actors, particularly Renner, are far too earnest, taking this thing much too seriously, and the leads don't exude much chemistry either. The efficient "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" (only 88 minutes) is peppered with a few decent action set pieces (the guns are way too modern for the time it's set in), but like most movies released in January, this is on the junky, messy side, but at least you'll have a little fun along the way.

Wes's Grade: C