An era-straddling tale of an immortal medieval warrior protecting modern-day New York from a black plague.
In The Last Witch Hunter, Kaulder (Vin Diesel) is a brave warrior who is cursed with immortality seconds before he slays the Witch Queen. Now 800 years later, the Witch Queen’s modern day followers threaten the human race with the resurrection of their leader. Kaulder has finally reached a truce with the witch community when his handler and confidant, Dolan the 36th (Sir Michael Caine) is murdered and replaced by Dolan the 37th (Elijah Wood). Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones) enters the picture as Kaulder’s love interest. She is dubbed a “dreamwalker” or a good witch.
This fantasy action thriller boasts a few impressive visual moments. For example, in the future apocalypse scene skyscrapers tower over a barren downtown Manhattan street filled with cars taken over by mother nature or when the blind warlock disappears into a dense cloud of indigo butterflies. Vin was inspired byJ. R. R. Tolkien and the film does a nice job of capturing that essence. Also, the cast and performances were great. However, in other places, the film suffers from an over reliance on CGI effects which leaves viewers on the short end of the “jump scare” stick. The plot seems to be driven by the special effects rather than the other way around. Also, the storyline lacked depth.
The Last Witch Hunter was directed by Breck Eisner ( The Crazies), written by Cory Goodman (Priest), Matt Sazama, and Burk Sharpless. The producers are Mark Canton (300, 300:Rise of an Empire, Immortals); Vin Diesel (Riddick, Fast & Furious 6); and Bernie Golmann (300, 300:Rise of an Empire).
The Last Witch Hunter in theaters October 23,2015.
