Movie Review Rewind: Season of the Witch (2011)

Brandon Vick flips the calendar back to 2011 for a look at one of Nicolas Cage's most infamous roles on this edition of Movie Review Rewind.

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You never know what to expect when you go see a Nicolas Cage movie. But for the past few years (besides last year’s Kick-Ass), his movies are way below his talent. Perhaps he is a risk-taker and believes the movies he is a part of are something unique, but those risks are not paying off and haven’t been for a while now. This brings us to Season of the Witch.

Set in the 14th century, Nic Cage plays Behmen, a knight for the holy army who kill in the name of the church and for God. But that changes when those who are being murdered are women and children. With his fellow Crusader and friend Felson (Ron Perlman), they begin their journey home and there they witness the desolation of the Black Plague. Behmen and Felson agree to escort a girl (Claire Foy), who is believed to be a witch and the cause of this plague, to a monastery where the monks can destroy the curse and get rid of the plague. Through their journey, they run in to wolves who can change in to meaner, more ferocious wolves. A bridge that can barely hold a man but somehow handles horses and a carriage as well. People die and you know which characters will make it to the end. No surprises here folks.

I must say, my expectations weren’t that high before going in to Season of the Witch. Why should they be right? And the first part of it actually is not that bad. Nic Cage and Ron Perlman aren’t given it their all, but it is not ruining the movie. They try to be funny and it does not work, but I knew this wasn’t suppose to be a comedy. However, the finale actually may make you laugh a little. Once they finally reach the monastery, the “witch” is something completely different. And what she turns in to is indescribable. Not for the reasons of it being mind-blowing or exciting, it is just too stupid to explain. Along with that, the special EFX look cheap. My guess is most of the budget went to getting Nic Cage on board.

But I do have some good news about this movie incase you still want to see it. Claire Foy is the best part of the movie. Her character is young and perhaps innocent. She is promised a fair trial but there is no such thing when it comes to witches. You find that out at the very beginning of the movie. But she goes from being scared and gentle to strong and creepy in a split second. I never really saw her being or not being a witch a mystery or a surprise. It’s pretty clear something is wrong with her. So there is a performance in this movie that gives you some hope, but not much.

Season of the Witch is its own type of plague. When it had something good going, it would trip somewhere, and by the end, it completely fell on its face. The material turned most of the performances flat and lazy. And when visuals were added, they were poorly done and made the movie worse. I don’t know if anyone is fully capable of giving up on Cage. We know he can be a great actor and can choose interesting, complex roles when he wants to. But I guess he is just having fun doing any movie that comes his way. No matter what. I must admit, it is sort of fun to see what he might do next. For better or worse.

Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association and the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.

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