Last weekend, it was The Turning which has already reserved a spot on my list of the year’s worst list. Now this week, we get Gretel & Hansel which while it’s not nearly as disastrous, it’s definitely confusing and preposterous and not in a good way.
Yes, this is a retelling of sorts of the Grimm’s classic fairy tale, but a lot darker, and, in this case, darker doesn’t necessarily mean better.
Sophie Lillis and Sam Leakey star as the titular characters who wander into a mysterious forest in search of food and of course, they stumble upon a house in which a witch (Alice Krige) invites them in to stay.
The two kids are immediately taken with her, Hansel in particular, but the longer they stay, the more deeply Gretel has her doubts. It’s only a matter of time before they both discover the witch’s plot, but the kids have to be susceptible. Otherwise, we don’t have a movie.
Gretel & Hansel is certainly a movie filled with atmosphere that does invoke the look and style of the Grimm’s story, but the plot is sluggish and nearly incomprehensible even at 90 minutes.
Any attempts at suspense are also doomed by natural predictability that eventually, the kids will escape the clutches of the witch.
Gretel & Hansel is made and acted with skill, but the story falls flat. It’s too predictable which is bad enough, but it’s also slow, repetitive, and doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Grade: C
(Rated PG-13 for disturbing images/thematic content, and brief drug material.)
