★★★★☆

I have heard many reviewers empty their colons on The Last Witch Hunter. In particular I remember one female reviewer on NPR dissing all over this film. Lamenting about how it was the most downloaded/streamed/watched movie in China or some other country yet some other film they thought much more worthy attracted no audience. Well, reviewer whose name I never caught, that would be because the movie you championed is a “chick flick” and this movie has hard bodied people using martial arts and blowing things up.

While I don’t remember the name of the movie you were championing I do know hard bodied people doing martial arts while blowing things up requires very little translation. Chick Flicks on the other hand, tend to be extremely wordy and they require a common cultural appeal. Your movie about a cheating husband simply doesn’t have the same appeal in cultures where men are allowed to have as many wives as they want. Action always sells. Something like 70-80% of all movie goers globally will pay to see at least two action movies per year while something like 1.8% will pay to see two chick flicks per year.

Action flicks like The Last Witch Hunter also provide bad ass roles for women. Action films like The Last Witch Hunter are one of the few movie genres where strong women are not only openly accepted, they are encouraged. Yes, the audience wants a bit of eye candy, but they also want to see them actually do something.

Plot of The Last Witch Hunter

This movie adheres to many of the universal boundaries/vehicles for such a film. There is a quest within a quest. There are multiple betrayals. Witches aren’t by definition evil. Extraordinary events must force the young to become adults.

Chloe has a great line which I don’t find on any of the quote sites.

“Who say’s a witch can’t kill/hunt witches.”

I had to do kill/hunt because I don’t remember which word was used and don’t feel like spinning through scenes to find it right now. The line is significant though. It’s the point where she goes from just a dream walker who knows a bit about potions to an adult who knows that some of her kind have to be hunted down.

Catholic church sub plot

The action is pretty great as is the sub plot involving the Catholic church. How it will allow evil to exist so it can be exploited and utilized. In the end Chloe is faced with the same decision.

Yes, there are reasons this movie is watched so much globally which have little to do with the action or the eye candy.

For more movie rental ideas please see list one and list two.