The Last Witch Hunter

Yesterday was Valentines Day, worldwide. People are going crazy about buying chocolate, flowers, cards, underwear ( at least this is a good idea ). But people seem to forget the 80´s way of Valentines Day. Back in those days, we celebrated with Cannon Films, all the classics like American Ninja with Michael Dudikoff, Delta Force with Chuck Norris and many more. Valentines Day back in those days were more about big guns, special kicks and explosions. If someone handed a bouquet of flowers to Chuck Norris, he would kick them down, faster than the bite of a cobra. This is what Valentines Day should be like, just like in the good old days. But times change, and people seem to be too soft. Luckily we do have some guys who still like to play rough, as Vin Diesel. Most of you know him from the Fast And The Furious Films, or perhaps from the first XXX film. He did do a different action film in 2003, in the film called A Man Apart. This was more of an Steven Seagal type of film, and actually not that bad. Vin Diesel may not be one of the greatest actors of all time, but in the right film, and the right character, he can deliver. I personally enjoyed him in the films Pitch Black and Riddick. Seeing him fighting aliens was a fun ride. The Chronicles Of Riddick, the first sequel to Pitch Black, had a few funny scenes, but was clearly not the right sequel for the first film. The third film Riddick managed to capture more of the style, and feeling of the first film. There are rumours that Universal wish to do a fourth film, but until we get this confirmed, let´s just hope it is possible. Vin Diesel is usually working on more Fast And Furious sequels, so we don´t really get to see him do different genre films. He did do The Pacifier, back in 2005, a comedy that i think reminded us of Kindergarten Cop with Arnold Schwarzenegger, but did not manage to be as funny as this 90´s classic. About a year ago, i was hearing rumours that Vin Diesel would be in an horror action film called The Last Witch Hunter. Considering he have done so many sequels to Fast And Furious, i think the concept of Vin Diesel being a witch hunter would be fun to see. I just got myself a blu ray release of this film, since i was curious to see if he would manage to deliver in a completely different character, and another genre film. Is this the best film we have seen lately from this massive guy, or is this a film that he should have stayed away from ?

Kaulder ( Vin Diesel ) is a witch hunter, who was cursed with eternal life in the Middle Ages, by the Whitch Queen. The Black Plague have been released by the Witch Queen, as she kills Kaulder´s family. Kaulder manage to survie though, but as he is killing her, she gives him a curse, eternal life as punishment. Kaulder works for an organization called The Axe and Cross. Their mission is to make sure that witches who break the law, are imprisoned. Also, they make sure that ordinary humans are not harmed by witch craft. Ever since Kaulder was made imortal by the Witch Queen, he is accompanied by a priest called a " Dolan ". This priest is meant to be record the achievements of Kaulder, and to be his keeper. As the years go by, the 36th Dolan ( Michael Caine ) is now ready to retire. He had a long good run with Kaulder, but decide to retire and let 37th Dolan ( Elijah Wood ) take over his place. The 36th Dolan is found dead in his home, at first it seems to be a natural Death, until Kaulder find traces of black magic have been used. It seems to be the same type of magic that the Witch Queen used, so Kaulder suspect that she might be back. To find out more information, Kaulder visit a bar, where Chloe ( Rose Leslie ) might be able to help him. She is a witch, but a good one. Chloe helps Kaulder create a memory spell, so he can go back and see what really happened that moment, when he became immortal. Is the Witch Queen really back, or is there another explanation to all the evil events ?

Let´s start by saying that this is not a film that will ever be Oscar nominated. With that said, i think you might understand where this is going. The Last Witch Hunter is a silly film in some ways, but at the same time have a nostalgic look from 90´s action films. There were plenty of horror films back then mixed with horror, and i can sense that there are some influences from this time period. Is Vin Diesel a better actor ? Not really, but he works best in action films, where he does more violence, and less talking. In some ways, it is fun to see him do a film like this, because i did not excpect him to do this mix. Remember when Schwarzenegger did End Of Days ? That is actually a good horror action film, and one of the better ones in this genre. The Last Witch Hunter does not manage to reach that high, but i enjoy the concept. I get a sense that here are influences from the 1986 film Highlander here, since Vin Diesel´s character Kaulder, have lived for 800 years, and is still fighting against witches. When we see some scenes, where we see Kaulder as an ordinary human, before he was cursed by a witch, gives us a different perspective of his personality. He had a wife, a child, and all of that was taken away from him. The action scenes looks pretty good for the most part, except from some CGI effects on the witches. One of the best performances here in this film, is Michael Caine. He may not do one of his better performances, but his presence feels welcome. And he does fit to play the 36th Dolan ( a different kind of priest ). Elijah Wood is also here as the 37th Dolan, unfortunately, i don´t feel that he put much effort into his character. Considering he was so damn good in the remake of Maniac, i know he can act, so he have proved himself. Director Breck Eisner have directed many different types of films, maybe his most known ones are Sahara with Matthew McConaughey, or the horror remake of The Crazies from 2010. In my view, i think he manage to deliver some popcorn entertainment with The Last Witch Hunter. It is silly, and you know the acting won´t be very good. But once the action scenes kick in, we can still have a good time. This became a major box office flop in America, doing better in international ticket sales. I guess people did not care about Vin Diesel doing this, so my advice is to give it a chance. Sometimes, it is fun to be reminded of the cheesy action horror films of the 90´s. Excuse me a moment, those damn witches of Granloholm is back, good thing i keep my chainsaw ready.

Rating: DDD