The Last Witch Hunter

Shot, sliced, struck, splayed; saved, sailed, smiled, strayed; and carried on. For Vin Diesel to start at one end of that trajectory and appear unscathed at the other is par for the course. Now imagine him as witch hunter Kaulder, with special powers and immortality. Witch, witches, or witch queen — which has a chance?

Hollywood still hasn't figured out that a fantasy film needs some genuine scares to keep things interesting – excessive CGI doesn't really cut it nowadays, and FX as unimpressive as the ones in this movie signal a disaster. In the 90's this film would probably have been a semi hit, in 2015 The Last Witch Hunter is so unimaginative, it digs its own grave.

Vin Diesel and subtlety don't necessarily go hand-in-hand. Accordingly, there are acrobatic battles with flaming swords, blazing shotguns and CGI ghouls aplenty. Caine and Wood dial in their performances but it's Rose Leslie who is in form here; her character could have been explored in greater depth.

The narrative is densely over-plotted with other-worldly incidents both magical and radical. It's convoluted and has hallucinatory overtures that take you off course every time. The story itself lacks consistency and the visual architecture here reigns supreme over everything else.

...the dull nature of the movie gives you time to ask some awkward questions about the plot, especially the anticlimactic final act. All you can do then is shuffle out of the theatre feeling utterly cheated.

Even the monsters or the witches don't look scary. Everything seems to have been put together in a hurry. It's an action flick. But it is rarely entertaining. It has Vin Diesel, but there's no car chases in this one. It could've been great, but settles for just about okay.