SEASON OF THE WITCH (2011)

Directed By: Dominic Sena
Written By: Bragi F. Schut
Cinematography By: Amir Mokri
Editor: Dan Zimmerman, Mark Helfrich & Bob Ducsay

Cast: Nicholas Cage, Ron Perlman, Stephen Campbell Moore, Christopher Lee, Robert Sheehan, Ulrich Tomasen, Claire foy, Stephen Graham



A 14th century Crusader returns to a homeland devastated by the Black Plague. A beleaguered church, deeming sorcery the culprit of the plague, commands the two knights to transport an accused witch to a remote abbey, where monks will perform a ritual in hopes of ending the pestilence. A priest, a grieving knight, a disgraced itinerant and a headstrong youth who can only dream of becoming a knight join a mission troubled by mythically hostile wilderness and fierce contention over the fate of the girl. When the embattled party arrives at the abbey, a horrific discovery jeopardises the knight's pledge to ensure the girl fair treatment, and pits them against an inexplicably powerful and destructive force.

The film starts off promising with a sequence that is shocking and horrifying. Then immediately goes into numerous battle sequences that seem at first exciting but quickly become ridiculous and repititous. Which soon becomes the fate of the rest of the film. I was hoping the film would become either a hammer-esque horror film. Which helps by having Christopher Lee in the cast unfortunately in only a bit role. Then i was hoping it might be a down n dirty mini-epic with brutality and action. Unfortunately it’s neither. It seems like the film has a epic in mind but a budget that can’t support it. It seems all the money was spent on Nicholas Cage and the effects.

The film is just the right type of ridiculous for Nicholas cage.

Everything else in this film seems cheap. Dominic Sena who started out with talent with films like KALIFORNIA and SWORDFISH. Both of those films had visual style even if the scripts weren’t exactly the best they leave him blank, just like this film. His later career with films like this and WHITEOUT are moving him closer to being a hack. Most of the film seems more like an excuse for action scenes rather then story or plot. The story is so vague that the action scenes are the only time the films seems to come alive.

The film is only interesting as far as Cage and Perlman characters are. Ron Perlman can usually do no wrong so he is perfect here. His friendship with Cage is funny, Interesting and exciting. I only wish they could take these characters (Who seem like characters from a medieval buddy comedy sequel, Because in the original they are only getting to know each other by the sequel they know each other so well and can make more personal jokes) and put them in a better film then this.

I can’t blame Nicholas cage entirely for this film. He wears another ridiculous wig, but he does well with what he is given. He doesn’t overplay the role for a change the film just seems like the script needed work before it was put into production. So the project seems doomed from it’s inception. I can see why it didn’t make it to theaters for a film that feels like it should be epic it is actually quite small in scope.

GRADE: D