The Last Witch Hunter
Director: Breck Eisner
Stars: Vin Diesel, Rose Leslie, Elijah Wood
Duration: 106 mins
Class: PG13
KRS Film Releasing

While it is certainly difficult to pinpoint what constituted the birth of the ‘fantasy’ genre in literature – and subsequently in the media – it is unarguably thriving. The popularity of the genre in the 21st century is riding a successful wave thanks to the phenomenon of the likes of the adaptations of some literary giants for the big and small screens – The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter films, and TV’s Game of Thrones to name but three of a vast and limitless collective.

It is a genre that allows writers and film-makers the luxury of letting their imagination run riot using themes of magic and other supernatural elements in their works, taking inspiration from many age-old myths and legends to create stories set in worlds real or imagined; in eras modern and ancient.

Thanks to the continued advancement of CG technology, these stories are often enhanced tenfold, offering the viewer an all-encompassing emotional, visceral and visual experience. Small wonder then, that so much of Hollywood’s output is entrenched firmly within the fantasy genre and its many subcategories; the aforementioned titles adding billions to the major studios’ coffers while riding waves of critical acclaim.

Oftentimes, though, the final product doesn’t quite hit the mark, and The Last Witch Hunter, while displaying lots of potential on paper – a dark and brooding hero; an intriguing story line that brings said hero from a medieval times to modern day New York to battle supernatural villains, only to face betrayal and treachery – never really delivers on its promise, the final result too much of a pastiche of the fantasy adventure genre to really make an impression despite the commendable efforts of star and producer Vin Diesel.

The film opens on a scene set in the Middle Ages, in a desolate and forbidding snowy landscape. It is a land where the evil Witch Lords emerge, causing the Black Death that wiped out millions. Witch Hunter Kaulder (Diesel) a member of the secret brotherhood known as The Order of Axe and The Cross succeeds in slaying the Witch Queen.

As she crumbles to her death, she puts a curse on him, condemning him to immortality. Fast forward some 800 years and we catch up with Kaulder, still stoically carrying out his mission in modern day New York and hunting rogue witches among those who have successfully integrated into society. When his friend and mentor Dolan 36th (Michael Caine) is killed, Kaulder learns of a plot to resurrect the Witch Queen who is out for revenge.

What results is a plot line that is for the most part a tad muddled with an ultimately obvious outcome. While the plethora of CG effects that form a good part of the film’s structure offer some decent visuals, including an effective witch monster creature, many of the action sequences are rendered so obscurely that it is difficult to figure out who’s fighting whom or to fathom what’s going on. They do little to hide the fact that the script by Cory Goodman, Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless is short on cohesive narrative or decent characters, many of whom are pretty one-dimensional and thinly sketched.

The role of Kaulder seemed perfect for fantasy fan Vin Diesel with his hunky physique, unique gravelly voice and unmistakeable charisma, yet apart from having to cope with the rather eccentric head and facial hairstyles that he sports in the earlier-based scenes, he is burdened with a character that amounts to little more than a generic dark fantasy anti-hero. His dark and doomy tough guy persona focuses more on the physical than the emotional, despite the constant flashbacks to his wife and daughter, which fail to add any emotional weight.

Likewise, the supporting cast struggle to make an impact. Caine is his usual endearing self in what amounts to little more than an extended cameo, while British actress Rose Leslie’s ‘dreamwalker’ character soon falls into the much-younger-love-interest-to-male-protagonist category and Elijah Wood’s sidekick comes across as a little bland.