***Kick axx continuation of the sylvan fairy tale about slaying diabolical witches***

In Medieval Germany, Hansel & Gretel (Jeremy Renner & Gemma Arterton) are now adults and formidable witch slayers, not to mention considered heroes in the community. When numerous children turn-up missing, they trace the problem to an unholy celebration orchestrated by a grand witch (Famke Janssen). Fetching Pihla Viitala plays a redhead villager accused of witchcraft.

"Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters" (2013) is a dark fantasy/action/comedy/horror that takes the German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm and envisions events about twenty years later. Imagine the excellent “Season of the Witch” (2011) meshed with the fantasy elements of the fable and you’d have a good idea of this movie. “Dracula Untold” (2014) and “Snow White and the Huntsman” (2012) are good contemporary associations, but “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters” is noticeably superior.

This movie just kicks total axx from beginning to end with Gemma jaw-dropping as the take-no-sheet heroine and Renner rising to the challenge. The witches are ee-vil and worthy of nothing other than immediate slaughter, which is basically the siblings’ modus operandi. There’s a lot of thrilling action and gore, some of it so over-the-top it’s amusing; there’s even a terrible troll. And the movie LOOKs great. If you like dark woodsy adventure and don’t mind fantasy, don’t miss out on this excellent film.

The film is doesn’t overstay its welcome at 1 hour, 28 minutes; and was fittingly shot completely in Germany.

GRADE: A