Tweet      

2 Stars

An interesting premise is ultimately squandered by poor execution. Season of the Witch could have had the potential to be worth watching. Instead it meanders around pointlessly between action and horror, never quite committing enough to the latter to be truly frightening. Nicolas Cage and Ron Pearlman star as knights returning home from a long quest only to find their homeland ruined by the Black Plague. Luckily there is a way to rid Europe of the disease, they must accompany an accused witch to a far off monastery, where a sacred ritual is to be performed. They encounter many obstacles along their journey including bad CGI, possessed wolves and a pedestrian script. None of this produces much excitement or enthusiasm. Again, very interesting premise, but even the trailers are incredibly boring and gloss over the important parts.

Overall the scenery is beautiful, the performances are just ok (due to a lackluster script no doubt) and the CGI is laughable. Writer Bragi F. Schut may have been influenced by Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, but any similarities aren’t worth mentioning. After director Dominic Sena’s horribly boring Whiteout two years ago, this movie proves that the few hits he’s been able to muster in the past may have been flukes.

Director: Dominic Sena
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman, Claire Foy