Season of the Witch (2011)

the audience applauded

From my favorite movies..

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

RELEASED IN EARLY 2011 and directed by Dominic Sena, "Season of the Witch" chronicles events when two ex-Teutonic Knight crusaders (Nicolas Cage & Ron Pearlman) traveling through Styria in modern-day Austria are enlisted to escort an alleged witch suspected of causing the black death (Claire Foy) to a remote monastery in the mountains for trial and to hopefully stop the devastating plague. Stephen Campbell Moore (Debelzaq), Stephen Graham (Hagamar) and Robert Sheehan (Kay) accompany the Knights. This is basically the American version of "Black Death," a European film released around the same time. Both movies are dark, gritty and brutal in their depictions of Medieval Europe, but "Season of the Witch" is more of a stereotypical blockbuster with modish protagonists, amusing one-liners and CGI-laden climax. "Black Death" is deeper, more thought-provoking and realistic, which is why I give it the edge in overall value (see my review). "Season" is the more conventionally entertaining movie and anyone who appreciates Dark Ages-based flicks are highly encouraged to check it out. Films which come to mind include "In the Name of the Rose" (1986), "Kingdom of Heaven" (2005), "Robin Hood" (2010), "Ironclad" (2011), "King Arthur" (2004), "Dragonslayer" (1981), "Red Riding Hood" (2011), "Tristan + Isolde" (2006) and "Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves" (1991). It's as good, or better, than any of these.The Medieval cinematography (castles, dungeons, villages, dark forests and breathtaking mountains) is mind-blowing and the two protagonists are great with their amusing rapport. Furthermore, Foy is easy-on-the-eyes. Look out for a thrilling rope-bridge crossing a la "Sorcerer" (1977). Although the climax is over-the-top cartoony, the tone up to that point is quasi-realistic. THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour 35 minutes and was shot in Austria, Hungary and Croatia with reshoots done in Louisiana. WRITERS: Bragi F. Schut. ADDITIONAL CAST: Christopher Lee is almost unrecognizable as the plague-ridden Cardinal D'Ambroise. GRADE: A-/B+

Netflix put this up as 1 of the top 3 movies I should watch why????? I have no idea.First off the dialog was contradicting itself the priest in the beginning played by Brian O'Byrne off of flash forward the TV series axed after 1 season which I was gutted about was chanting in olden times talk so kind of setting period of the film then Ron Perlman says lets get the hell out of here and nick cage says crap when they get surrounded by other knights. So straight off the bat it shows it doesn't quite now what kind of film it wants to be.The landscape cgi was absolutely beautiful I really couldn't tell if it was real or not especially when they arrive in the town where they get caught, if that castle is real wow I've got to go see that.Nick cage ghost rider himself was bad man, it was like he knew this was going to be a bad movie so he didn't give anything just there for his pay check which set the tone for the film. If he gave it some beans he could of turned the film around but I think he was the wrong choice Neo Keanu Reeves would of been a better choice I think he's good at the straight/serious characters would of been perfect for him.The best actor for me and I think he is very underrated was Stephen Graham of off Boardwalk Empire he is so good it seems effortless for him really enjoy watching what he does hope to see him get a main role in a movie really soon.

I put off seeing "Season of the Witch" when it first came out not only to the bad reviews, but because Nicolas Cage was in the cast, an actor who doesn't exactly rub me the right way most of the time. After finally seeing it, I have to admit that I didn't find the movie absolutely terrible. Cage, for one thing, gives a decent performance here, and like the other principle cast members, comes across as quite likable. And I have to admit that I was never bored by the movie - it moves pretty swiftly from scene to scene, and never get bogged down. And the filmmakers manage to capture what medieval life must have been like for its inhabitants, with an effective cold, dirty, and primitive atmosphere.Yet despite all that, there is something quite unsatisfying about the entire enterprise. I couldn't pin down the reason for a long time, but I finally realized that the script is inadequate for a couple of reasons. There isn't much of a story here - most of the movie consists of a journey. A bigger script problem is that the characters are pretty thinly written. While the cast might make them likable, we learn little about them, especially with the character of the accused witch. As a result, it's hard to care about these people and what their eventual fates turn out to be. Not a terrible movie, but in the end it's quite disappointing.

There are Two Colors that are On Screen in this "Color" Movie...Blue & Green. That's Typical of the New Millennium's Idea that Everything Needs to be "Dark" and Drained to be Cool. Yeech!Other than that, it is a Mid-Range Medieval Movie that Never Quite Achieves what it wants. The Story is Solid and The Twists are OK and the Gloomy Substitutes for the Gory in this Dirty Time of Plagues and Puss.Nic Cage and Ron Perelman and the rest of the Cast are kind of Bland but there is Enough Horror and Suspense to Plod the Movie Along in this Path of Least Resistance Film. Nothing Much is that Exciting and the Final Stand Off Between Good and Evil is Less that Remarkable.Overall, Worth a Watch for those who Watch Most Anything. But it is a Failure at Worst and what may be Worse, a Mediocre Multi-Million Dollar Mess.