Hansel & Gretel Blu-ray Review
By: MattInRC
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters arrives on Blu-ray with excellent video and audio, but is short on supplements.
The beginning of the film year is usually filled with driftwood designed to push moviegoers to see Oscar contenders: 2013 bucked that trend in a big way by delivering us excellent fare such as Gangster Squad, Mama, and Warm Bodies. While none turned in exceptional numbers - sending the industry into a tailspin that took until May to overcome - that didn't mean quality was left at the door. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters was another example, delivering wickedly delicious fun, great action, a tight (albeit short) story, and solid acting by its stars. Its arrival this week onto Blu-ray is a mixed bag but not in the places you'd expect.
The Movie - 4/5
Based on the Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm fairy tale of the same name, HG:WH is basically Part 2 of the story, following the adventures of siblings Hansel (Jeremy Renner, The Avengers) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton, Clash of the Titans) after they escape certain death during childhood to become prolific contract killers. Armed with an array of high-tech gadgetry (reminding one of 19th Century 007's) Hansel and Gretel find plenty of action - burnings, hangings, and beheadings follow, memorialized in newspaper reports which dominate the opening credits. The duo are soon hired to defend the town of Augsburg which has lost 11 children to witch kidnappings with no apparent connection. The town's sheriff (Peter Stormare, Armageddon) doesn't buy into Hansel and Gretel's street cred, deciding to prosecute an accused witch (newcomer Pihla Viitala) without a trial. One broken nose and a concussion later, Berringer sends his own team out to find the children, but several are killed by the evil sorceress Muriel (Famke Janssen, X-Men franchise), who allows one surviving member to return to the town's tavern before exploding in front of the crowd. Such bloodfest is common in HG:WH, as the siblings dig deeper into the kidnappings by 'interrogating' witches along the way. When they learn that Muriel is planning to make all witches invulnerable during a ceremony involving the kidnapped children, Hansel and Gretel must sacrifice everything to stop Muriel before the region is plunged into total darkness.
Director/Writer Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow) crafts a fairly vicious affair, complete with severed human heads, witch bodies torn through piano wire, and other gruesome employs. One might be led to believe that violence is all you get with HG:WH, and for the most part that's true. But, Wirkola and Co-Writer D.W. Harper insert smart humor and a little sexiness at propitious moments. There's also a critical side story explaining what happened to their parents, but the main play here is the Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter-esque violence that looks at once to be totally unbelievable yet is still highly enjoyable. Perhaps it's the element surrounding the suspension of disbelief which plays such a necessary role here, a fact which audiences should already be used to 'switching on.' Doing so opens the eyes to a wild visual fest complete with a troll named Edward, a witch gathering ala Star Wars cantina, and several very good highly-stylized action sequences. Wirkola gets the most out of Renner and Atherton, who grew on me as the film progressed (I disliked the previews, to be honest), while Janssen is a perfect mix of sultry and vicious in leading her victims to a cruel death. The music, courtesy of Composer Hans Zimmer (Gladiator) and his Remote Control Productions protegee Atli Örvarsson (The Eagle), is well-crafted, marching to a pulsing witch killer soundtrack while Renner and Arterton slash their way to the film's dramatic conclusion. And while the film's 88-minute runtime is a bit short, it's a tightly focused with just enough character development to connect the bridges. There is a longer version on the 2D disc as well - read on for my opinions about it.
I heard plenty of complaints from critics about the implausibility of the story - get real. You don't watch HG:WH for deep intellectualism, and the film has no intention of delivering it, instead bringing plenty of action, funny one-liners, and Edward the Troll into the mix. If you liked Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter or Hugh Jackman's Van Helsing, HG:WH will certainly appeal to you. If your intent is to see the classic Grimm Fairy Tale retold as a sweeping epic of grand scale, spend your money elsewhere.
The Video - 4.5/5
Hansel & Gretel arrives with one of more confounding set ups I've ever seen. Basically, if you want to see the 97-minute extended cut, you can only watch it in 2D; the 3D contains both the theatrical (3D) and extended (2D) cuts, but you can't see the extended version in 3D.
Once you get past this confusion, enjoy the show because HG:WH features one of the best transfers we've seen this year. The 1080p/MPEG-4 AVC encode looks - in a word - stunning. Colors are realistic and balanced, with zero issues such as aliasing, banding, or pixelation. Some reviewers have complained about some artifacting around 55:00, but I never saw it. Instead, I was amazed at the clarity - both real and imagined - with hair and sweat looking lifelike, while Atherton's boots and leather pants shine and Renner's blue eyes chill the screen. Forest scenes easily show off individual leaves, and the town sets look authentic. Colors, such as those bright ones which make up the witch's house, are wonderfully vibrant and remind one of the original fairly tale. As we move into later years, the palette becomes muted but still well-done. Browns and greens pop without looking too primary, reds are deep, as are blacks which blend well into shadows. There's quite a lot of night scenes in the film, but our characters never got lost in what could have been a disastrous cut. I was able to identify the extended-cut scenes, but only because I did my research prior to watching it. In other words, Paramount took the same care in transferring these scenes as they did the ones which made the original cut. There's no doubt that HG:WH received a king's transfer from the studio and the results should look great on any platform.
The Audio: 4.5/5
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters features an impressive Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track that's as good as its competitor, the more frequently used DTS-HD Master Audio. Don't think for a moment that Paramount sacrifices anything here by using their own proprietary sound, as the lossless track amazes with its power and detail. First, the front speakers carry dialogue superbly, never needing to play The Remote Game between dramatics and action. We hear stereo separation in the track, when witches move from right to left or weapons and people pan across a scene. But it's the rear track which boosts the experience to a new level, bringing forest ambiances such as birds chirping and streams flowing. The same goes for town scenes in which you can hear background conversations and other effects. This helps to wrap the listener in sound, making the action sequences even that more appealing.
The LFE excels here as well, delivering a pop in the subwoofer without popping your speakers. It's an active track that rumbles often through the sounds of shattering wood, glass, and bone, as well as explosions that thunder across the room. The track reminds us just how far audio has progressed over video in the home market, making us wonder how we ever lived without lossless audio. Taking part in the HG:WH experience requires your ears as well your eyes, a fact which can't be said for most action films. Paramount has delivered an immersive track that's as good any other out there.
The Supplements - 2/5
Sadly, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters arrives with the bare minimum of supplements, all of which are presented in HD and include the following:
Two versions of the film - an 88-minute theatrical and a 97-minute extended cut: The extra is interesting but ultimately not central or critical to the story.
Reinventing Hansel & Gretel (15:41): A fairly standard look at the film's origins, hiring of the cast, character bios, and more. A little too gushy for my tastes.
The Witching Hours (9:01): The discussion of the plot is given more time, which then transitions into a discussion of the design behind the film's many witches.
Meet Edward the Troll (5:25): These creatures in film have become hot commodities since Lord of the Rings, and this one is actually given some personality.
Our evaluation copy came as a Blu-ray Combo, complete with the DVD and digital copies. The slipcase is embossed and glossy - however, some versions came with more supplements or an upgraded case. Here's a brief breakdown of the various versions offered:
- Best Buy: Over 15 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage that must be viewed from CinemaNow
- Target: Both Combo Packs (2D & 3D) are encased by an attractive Digibook, complete with 32 pages of production images and storyboards.
- Walmart: The DVD features unique cover artwork.
The Bottom Line - 4/5
For a film released in January, HG:WH got a well-earned 'summer blockbuster' moniker, but don't let its rock-n-roll mentality keep you from bringing it home. The video and audio transfers are excellent, even though the supplements are sorely lacking. The Target Digibook is a clear choice for securing a unique version of the release. Also, the extended cut is enjoyable and adds slightly more action meat to the bone. Overall, It's a good one to add your collection - I promise you won't be disappointed, just as long as you check any desire for reality at the door. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is rated R for nudity, language, and witch ass-kicking violence and has a runtime of 88 minutes.
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