Jason versus Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters

It needs to be said right out the gate, Tommy Wirkola's Dead Snow is the cat's ass. Based on the strength of that film alone, I had an inkling that Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters would be something special. That's why I pimped the fuck out of it on the site sight unseen. Now it's time to put the Jeremy Renner/Gemma Arterton fairy-tale-action-horror flick on the chopping block.

Hansel and Gretel are bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world. As the fabled Blood Moon approaches, the siblings encounter a new form of evil that might hold a secret to their past.

First off, kudos to Paramount Pictures and MGM for showing faith in this tough-to-market movie and releasing it in the hard R-rated version it was intended. There's no way, and I mean no way, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters would fly in a trimmed down, PG-13 version. No way.

This is a bloody, foul mouthed and fun as fuck flick that pulls no punches and never ceases to entertain. There's black comedy, ultra violence, and a great mix of practical and CGI effects that brings this dark spin on the Grimm fairy tale to life.

Shawn and I did a segment on the show last season about A-list stars doing B-movies, and Hansel and Gretel is a perfect example of that wish list put into action. We've got Renner and Arterton, who is dead sexy by the way, "slumming" it in what is essentially a $50-million B-movie. And they own it. Each is perfect in their role. Credit must be given to Famke Janssen as well, who is a prime bitch as the main bad witch. Say that 10 times fast.

Hansel and Gretel isn't a mainstream movie, but I'm glad it got a wide release and succeeded on its own terms. I could watch a dozen of these, and look forward to what Wirkola does next with this franchise. Yes, I want more Hansel and Gretel movies. Wanna fight about it?

A Good. Can't wait to see it again.

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