The film could have been stronger if it had simply remained a straightforward witch-hunting story instead of getting bogged down in an unnecessary and frankly tedious exploration of their family history, which mostly serves to slow things down. Those familiar with the original fairy tale will recall that "Hansel" (Jeremy Renner) and his sister "Gretel" (Gemma Arterton) were lured to a gingerbread house by a wicked wi…

A thrilling follow-up to the woodland fairy story about confronting wicked witches. Set in Medieval Germany, Hansel & Gretel (played by Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton) are grown up and skilled witch slayers, regarded as heroes within their community. When several children disappear, they investigate and discover a sinister ritual planned by a powerful witch (portrayed by Famke Janssen). Pihla Viitala appears as …

This film is one where you tune in for the action sequences and visual effects, and not much else—and because of that, it works really well. The original tale of Hansel & Gretel serves mostly as a jumping-off point for this story. What unfolds is an adventure featuring adult Hansel and Gretel as witch hunters. The movie is almost entirely nonstop action. It’s quite violent and graphic, so definitely not appropriat…

It's a pleasant fantasy adventure film. I enjoyed seeing Gemma Arterton in it once more, and the special effects were well-done, though there wasn’t much else that stood out.