Vin Diesel shines in a role that is full of depth and mystery
The supernatural genre is popular and can go in many different directions. There are films like R.I.P.D that dealt with a department that policed renegade ghosts, Men In Black which looked at a secret agency that policed alien activity and who can forget Ghostbusters which took four guys who took huge ghost invasions into their own hands and somehow beat the odds and saved the world. Each of these films are unique but have one thing in common, they all deal with things that cannot be explained and foes who are not always easy to see. The Last Witch Hunter follows this same pattern and fans of these classic movies should give it a shot, they may like it.
Many hundreds of years ago Kaulder (Vin Diesel) and a band of brave men were sent to go to the witch stronghold and stop the queen before she wiped mankind off the face of the earth. The stronghold was a giant tree full of dangers and evils that no person had ever seen before and lived to tell the tale. On this quest Kaulder was able to find the queen and ended her life, but something odd happened that night. Since that moment he has not aged one day and cannot die. In the hundred of years since this night he works with Father Dolan (Michael Caine) took keep evil witches at bay and destroy those who dare to harm the world.
But one day Father Dolan dies and Kaulder has to work with the 37th Dolan (Elijah Wood) right on the brink of a new threat rising from the darkness. Kaulder is not sure what is going on, but one thing is for sure he has to find a way to stop it before it is too late. With the aid of unlikely ally named Chloe ( Rose Leslie) they may have a chance of succeeding, but it won’t be easy. Who is this new threat? What is their goal? And is the answer somewhere hidden in his past?
This is an okay movie. It moves slow at times and what is going on will not always be clear. Vin Diesel is known for playing roles like this and he shines here. It is the rest of the cast that sadly could have done better. Many times they are only there to fill up space in a scene or a pivotal moment and with how talented many of these actors are it is a bummer to see them used this way. A few of them are more important than audiences will think and this does raise the bar on this movie, but until the final scenes it is not strange to ask yourself what is their purpose? The soundtrack is good and never plays a score or song out of place. The sets and costumes are well made and fit in both time periods and do a great job of making it all feel authentic and real.
The film gets 5/10. With a confusing plot until the final moments and a threat that is unknown for so long there is no way this film is a must see. Kids should not see it because of too much frightening imagery and some very violent scenes. It will definitely not be a film for everyone and even some Vin Diesel fans may end up being disappointed. The film is not the worst to come out this year but it certainly is not as good as it could have been.
If you are looking for a supernatural movie to watch this is the one to pick. If you are a die hard Vin Diesel fan you should check this movie out. This writer had high hopes for this movie but once it is all over there is too much missing here to make it a really amazing movie. The Last Witch Hunter comes out this Friday to a theater near you.
View the mysterious trailer here: