The Last Witch Hunter
Genre: Supernatural
Director: Breck Eisner
Cast: Vin Diesel, Rose Leslie, Elijah Wood, Michael Caine
Invoking sword and sorcery, director Breck Eisner has put together a video game that masquerades as a feature film. Reigniting the age-old battle between humans and witches, Eisner tries to project what is essentially a flippant take on the subject into something with a throbbing heart. The result is a dull, dumb and convoluted pastiche that is neither here nor there.
It takes off from the 14 Century when a dark plague was about to decimate the humanity. Eisner likes us to believe that it was caused by the Witch Queen (Julie Engelbrecht). A band of hairy warriors led by Kaulder (Vin Diesel with a beard!) takes her on and Kaulder vanquishes her with his sword of fire but not before she curses him with immortality.
Cut to modern day Manhattan, where Kaulder is allowed to be Diesel and he leads a slick life. Of and on he brings down a witch or two but he knows the value of co-existence. Unless they become a threat to humanity, they are allowed to carry on their business. Kaulder has clerical helpers called Dolans. When the current one, Dolan 36 (Michael Caine) becomes a victim of dark forces, Kaulder has to break the truce and go after the source. He is helped by Dolan 37 (Elijah Wood), in unravelling the mystery and along the way he finds a helpful witch Chloe (Rose Leslie) as well. As they come close, the film gets its redeeming features for the romantic undertones between a human and a witch, between the deadpan Diesel and the charming Rose, raises hopes of a light in this dark tunnel but Eisner sticks to the mumbo jumbo, making it a predictable fare.
The frequent flashbacks of Kaulder’s wife and daughter fail to generate any emotional connection. With the special effects failing to generate any ominous signs, the creatures, just like the script, remain a convoluted mass. Diesel makes dumb flicks fun to watch but here the brooding hunk sounds grating. Michael Caine has been called in to lend some gravitas, to reflect on the human of the hunter, but he also keeps his vast reservoir of experience for another day. Elijah conveniently slips into the cheesy atmosphere and we are left alone to survive the curse.
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