The Last Witch Hunter

Bald monotone star Vin Diesel plays Kaulder, a 14th-century hero who becomes immortal after foiling the Witch Queen's effort to destroy humanity by inflicting the Black Death on the world. Cut to the present, where Kaulder is still involved in his war against black magic as the chief soldier in a religious society that has provided him with a succession of clerical helpers called Dolans over the years. When the current Dolan (Michael Caine) is killed and replaced by a newcomer (Elijah Wood), Kaulder is sent on a mission to discover what nefarious plot the witches are hatching. The search takes him to a bar run by a spunky white witch (Rose Leslie) who becomes his unlikely sidekick on a quest that culminates in a confrontation with the resurrected Queen, who is still determined to annihilate humankind. The contorted plot is replete with oddball characters and complications that are illogical even by the low standards of this kind of genre nonsense, but all of the mystical gobbledygook quickly grows tiresome and the visual effects are astonishingly shabby. The makers of this gargantuan misfire might have hoped it would serve as the start of a new franchise, but it's more likely that this will be the last Last Witch Hunter. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Breck Eisner, a “Crafting the Magic” behind-the-scenes featurette (30 min.), related animated shorts (10 min.), deleted scenes (6 min.), a sizzle reel (2 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a lame film.] (F. Swietek)