Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, a film by Tommy Wirkola and staring Jeremy Renner as Hansel and Gemma Arterton as Gretel, is a spin on the classic fairy tale by the same name and examines the fate of two abandoned children. The movie begins seven years after their father leaves them in the woods; as the story goes, the two find themselves trapped by a witch who has plans to stuff them full of candy and eat them. They escape from the witch’s clutches when Gretel gets the witch to focus all of her attention on her and Hansel closes the oven door behind her.

Now Hansel and Gretel have found their calling in life; they are witch hunters. The action gets underway when with Hansel and Gretel arrive in a small, typical 1800’s village and prevent the drowning of a woman accused of being a witch. Hansel instructs the villagers about how to distinguish whether or not a woman is actually a witch and how it is more noticeable then one would think.

As the movie goes on children from the village start to go missing and it is up to the witch-hunting duo to discover what is happening to them. Of course, as the plot thickens the main characters run into a few problems and get into a few tight situations.

This movie was an action-packed spin on an old children’s tale that kept me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next problem in the plot to surface. I give this movie five stars for the dramatic storyline, the believable characters, and the “wow” factor of the effects. This is a must see for anyone who finds paranormal storylines appealing and appreciates a good surprise.

The movie opened February first and will be in Alliance Theater until Thursday February seventh.