Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'The Last Witch Hunter'

Written by Scott Edwards

You should never be ashamed for being good at your job, in fact, you should wear it like a badge of honor for all to see. There are so many people that seem to be afraid of showing off their skills to others for fear of being an outcast. Who cares what you are good at, if you are the best at what you do, make sure that everyone knows it, you may find that others have questions for you that could help them out as well. Keep your head raised high and show that you have pride in your work, since this is something that others will take note of and you might find yourself rewarded over time.

With his group of witch hunters being wiped out by The Witch Queen, Kaulder is the only one left to put an end to her reign. Being able to get his sword through her chest, Kaulder knows that victory is within his grasp, but when he steps forth to collect his prize, The Witch Queen has something up her sleeve. Cursing Kaulder to never be able to die, he is pulled from the rubble of the battle and recovers enough to be the last enforcer of the Axe and Cross sect. With years under his belt, Kaulder is the best at what he does when it comes to capturing witches, but as he finds out, that might not be enough as times are changing once again.

Meeting with Dolan the 36th to pass on his latest adventure, Kaulder is saddened that his longtime friend is going to be leaving him after fifty years of service. But with the times changing, Dolan 36 is ready to move on with his life and has briefed his replacement, the 37th, on what needs to be done in the job.  With the passing on ceremony already scheduled, Kaulder gets the worst news imaginable when he hears that Dolan 36 has passed away on the day of his resignation. Believing that there is foul play involved, Kaulder finds clues in his old friend’s apartment that points towards magic being used to bring about his death, but who could be breaking the truce that has stood strong for so many centuries?
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Checking his usual sources, Kaulder is able to locate the witch that killed his friend, but knows that there is much more to the story than he is privy to. As the Witch Council banishes the witch to eternal damnation, Kaulder is able to find out that his friend Dolan 36 is not dead, but under a spell that can only be broken with the killing of the witch that cast it. With clues being left by 36 as to where to look, Kaulder needs to remember something from his past, but when meeting with a witch that can help him obtain this, he is attacked by an old witch, Belial, who wants to stop the hunter from achieving his goals. With the help of his new witch friend Chloe, Kaulder is on the hunt for what happened in his past as he also works to uncover what could be the precursor to an all-out war on humanity that only he can stop.

The first few minutes of this movie made me think that I was going to be watching a pretty drawn out action flick, so thank goodness the story ramped up the longer it played. While I was not blown away by the storyline, I did enjoy the characters. There's Kaulder with all of his past interactions with witches who want to kill him and the addition of Chloe who is a new breed and wants to help. Then there are the Dolans’ who are both great in their own ways, as 36 is trying to help his oldest friend while 37 does not want to get in the way of the Axe and Cross’s new initiative, and it was fun to see how the two stories collided. Now don’t get me wrong, this movie is full of action as well and with Vin Diesel at the helm, you should expect no less, but I cannot get over him playing Groot, so I am picturing a huge tree fighting witches, which would kind of line up with the story as well, since these witches are part of the earth and use trees to boot. With action, dark magic, fire and brimstone, a giant sword, more fire and a witch’s spell that will never die, it really is a story that you should pay attention to, but it won’t lose you if you have other things to do. Happy Viewing. 

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