Season of the Witch's Missed Opportunities: A Movie Review

Director: Dominic Sena.

Writer: Bragi F. Schut.

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman and Claire Foy.



Nicolas Cage's Season of the Witch began the 2011 year with what many critics have called a lackluster product. It is a supernatural thriller and period drama that did not evolve beyond what the movie's central themes tried to play up. When the tale is about Behman von Bleibruck's (Cage) loss of faith with the church, perhaps the direction it should have gone towards is the depravity of everything Bleibruck witnessed. This look could have also included the hypocrisy that he saw existing within the Church.

Instead the film heads towards another direction. The opening act of witches being hanged and the departure of Bleibruck and Felson (Ron Perlman) from the knighthood are tied together when they venture through Styria.

They are identified by the people living there as traitors to the cause, but they are also given a chance to save face by Cardinal D'Ambroise (Christopher Lee). All they have to do is to escort a suspected witch, Anna (Claire Foy) to a monastery. The monks there are said to be able to perform a ritual that will put a stop to the plague she has supposedly cast upon the land.

Historical inaccuracies notwithstanding, Season of the Witch, is at best a game of "Dungeons and Dragons." At least the plague ridden 14th century is looking right. But when considering who the supporting cast consists of, the fantasy game is rearing its head: Kay von Wollenbarth (Robert Sheehan) , is a young altar boy who yearns to be a knight, Priest Debelzeq (Stephen Campbell Moore) is the cleric, and Hagamar (Stephen Graham) is the guide. This party even encounters the pitfalls a Game Master will typically toss at them, like crossing a rickety bridge with plenty of saving throws to make, a romp through the prerequisite misty woods and an encounter with angry wolves.

Now if this movie dwelled on the Key of Solomon, a plot device that is said to thwart evil and restore hope to the land, then there might be a film. The Key can do more than placate demons. It can also summon and bind higher powers. Two books are said to exist.

For those who can, the powers it has to control the supernatural world are incredible. And what it can do can force the very nature of every individual to look deeper into him or herself. Unless the spell caster is pure of heart, not everyone can use the book. That's why Wollenbarth is there. At least writer Bragi Schut has some details right, and he could have gone further with what the Key is capable of doing. Instead, this film is more about the filmmakers and actors playing a game for themselves to enjoy than to produce a product to satisfy the fans. The casting of three big names in the horror and fantasy industry is the biggest giveaway.

Ron Perlman loved being Hellboy, but in this film, he simply had fun picking on Cage with the dialogue that was written. That's about the only appeal with this movie, but that does not define a film. At least one actor enjoyed himself at the end.

Overall: 5 out of 10.

The film's homepage:

The Season of the Witch Homepage

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Posted in: 2011,2011 release,movie review,nicholas cage,ron perlman,season of the witch