Interesting take on a classic yet neglected fairytale

Rating: 8/10 (29 May 2013)

Fairy-tale stories and the fables that we remember from our childhood are popular subjects for film and television right now, you only need to look at programmes such as Once Upon a Time and the 2011 flop-film Red Riding Hood to see that. Why is that, I wonder to myself? Is it because Twilight opened up the gates for a reinterpretation of traditional stereotypes – the vampire who is good Or maybe because Hollywood has run out of original ideas? Or is it, just maybe, because everyone enjoys revisiting a familiar tale The interesting thing about this tale is, though we remember it vaguely, it was never something brought to screen (not to my knowledge, anyway) for our childhood innocence to enjoy, meaning this film right here can do pretty much anything it wants – which is where the fun begins.
Rather than rehash a familiar tale writer and director Tommy Wirkola has transported the audience into the future, taking us on a journey set after the brave Hansel and Gretel defeat the terrible child-eating witch, and puts a unique spin on the story. The fact that Wirkola has made our childhood heroes adult is very important to the plot, because let me tell you right now, this film is NOT for kids. As our protagonists grow and their lifestyles morph into bloodthirsty witch hunters with a passion for slicing and dicing, so do theirlanguage. Innocence and precociousness take a back seat to the "F#!*cks" and "Sh*#s" that come (in a hilarious nature might I add) from our protagonists mouths. Not to mention the odd dash of sex they add from time to time. As I said, not for kids. This places the film in a unique position and could very well have been the one thing that ruined it, though happily it didn't if the plans for a sequel are anything to go by, because it very much isolates the audience and relies on sentimentality for the childhood tale to draw cinema-goers in. If my opinion is anything to go by, then it is very much worth the purchase. Which brings me on to the cast and film portion
If you would like to read the rest of my thoughts on this film then visit this site (filmrambler.blogspot.co.uk)