Good morning, BossFam! Hope you’re kicking off the weekend right with this beautiful fall weather. I just recently got a chance to hit my home away from home to catch The Last Witch Hunter that opened in theaters on this past Friday. The Last Witch Hunter stars Vin Diesel, Rose Leslie, Elijah Wood, & Michael Caine.

The Last Witch Hunter Story

The modern world holds many secrets, but the most astounding secret of all is that witches still live amongst us; vicious supernatural creatures intent on unleashing the Black Death upon the world. Armies of witch hunters battled the unnatural enemy across the globe for centuries, including KAULDER, a valiant warrior who managed to slay the all-powerful QUEEN WITCH, decimating her followers in the process. In the moments right before her death, the QUEEN curses KAULDER with her own immortality, forever separating him from his beloved wife and daughter in the afterlife. Today KAULDER is the only one of his kind remaining, and has spent centuries hunting down rogue witches, all the while yearning for his long-lost loved ones. However, unbeknownst to KAULDER, the QUEEN WITCH is resurrected and seeks revenge on her killer causing an epic battle that will determine the survival of the human race.

Tough Criticism

I thought the critics went a little too hard on this movie considering the entertainment level of the film. We’re not here to be elitists when it comes to film, We’re here to tell you what films you’d enjoy spending your hard earned money on and which films you’d to better just waiting on rentals or streaming releases. That being said, The Last Witch Hunter proved to be a fun time throughout. It reminded me of the same lore and action presented in the first Underworld.

I had a fun time with this film. The classic world that lay interwoven in the present showcase a unique setting for a story whose tale is timeless. Stories that deal with the conflict of good versus evil, the idea of the neutrality of magic, the choices of the users, & all with humanity hanging in the balance. These are themes that I find interesting; and if writers can find unique ways of telling these stories, I always enjoy the ride.

The Cast

I like Diesel in these roles. His darker Sci Fi anti-hero roles tend to sit higher on my fave list (even though I thoroughly enjoy Fast and the Furious franchise). These tales tend to be epic in scale and the protagonist has a “devil may care” way about him. The thing I liked most about Kaulder is that he didn’t feel like a brooding character. Yes, having been affected by his past it shaped his handling of people, but he still has a view on life as an immortal that’s interesting to see develop. There’s a level of stoicism to him as a character but he felt more like a James Bond or Indiana Jones styled character that made the adventure fun.

Rose Leslie was a great addition as well. Last having seen her in Game of Thrones, her characters aren’t that much different in the fact that she’s a tough woman who wants to handle her own business and be left alone. Watching her character come in to her own was a great set up for things to come (the movie already has a proposed sequel in the works if that tells you anything). Her chemistry with Diesel was great to me in the fact that it wasn’t overwhelming. There was no hitting you over the head with the fact that these two would be anything other than partners created out of adversity.

Magical Effects

The visuals for this film kept to the gritty classic undertones of the film. The Last Witch Hunter plays on the elemental nature of the oldest of magic’s lore. The visual effects kept to that style highlighting the elemental nature of specific magic. While lighter magic tended to feel like their elemental natures, when dealing with dark magic the effects certainly had a considerable weight added to them visually in the film.

If I had to express any real issue that I had with the film it would be that the stakes can never be personally high enough for Kaulder. Globally, Kaulder will deal with external stakes (i.e. his friends and the world at whole being at risk) but the problem the writers will have to address is how high can the stakes be for a man who has been cursed with immortality? It will be interesting to see how they address this in a follow-up. Overall the film is definitely worth a look-see if you are a fan of Sci Fi Fantasy, but if you feel you are indifferent to the genre and want to see it, check out a matinée. The Last Witch Hunter was a lot of fun and I think you’ll enjoy it.

Until next time, BossFam!