Review of Witchslayer Gretl

"Witchslayer Getl" ranks as an abysmal broth of sub-par special effects swirled with a sorry thesping. This reimagined Grimm's fairy tale about an adult Hansel searching for his long-lost sister who he believes has been killed is hokum. The way that "Stargate: Atlantis" actor Paul McGillion lets his mouth hang open makes him look a little like actor Jason Bateman; okay, McGillion looks like a bearded, middle-aged Jason Bateman out there slaying witches without a qualm. The cast appear to have appropriated their wardrobe from the local chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Indeed, they wander alternately through real woods and then ersatz wooded sets wearing Renaissance Era attire and utter forgettable dialogue. Despite all these yesteryear trappings, our hero and heroine come equipped with necklaces featuring ear-buds which enable them to communicate over vast distances. Occasionally, a synthetic gargoyle flaps its way out of the wild blue to menace them. Poor Paul McGillion straddles one of theses supernatural beastie at one point and whacks it with a wand. It seems that an evil witch has taken possession of his sister body. Shannon Doherty of "Heathers" plays Hansel's sister. Wow, has she gone to seed. The Angela Mancuso & Brook Durham story/teleplay is both predictable and humorless. This original SyFy Channel presentation is incredibly egregious. If you've read this far, you're probably wondering why I let myself suffer through this ghastly nonsense. I spotted it in at a local Redbox and thought I'd prepare myself for the forthcoming "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters." Mind you, I sat through it once simply because I shelled out the loot to rent it. Anybody who bewitches themselves into watching this so they can compare it with the Jeremy Renner & Gemma Arterton epic is wasting their time. Yuck!!!