Nicholas Cage’s latest is a black plague era fantasy thriller based around two former crusaders who escort a suspected witch to a monastery for trial. The majority of the film is a road story, where the characters encounter obstacles that are borderline supernatural. Season of the Witch is a perfect example of a movie that some would right off as “bad.” So, I thought this would be a good review to point out how I believe positives outweigh negatives in most films. There are plenty of both in this instance.
Firstly, the acting is a huge variable from scene to scene. Nicholas Cage’s range as an actor apparently is halted at the donning of a British accent. He is believable as the battle-hardened knight, but the script becomes incredibly weak when Cage slurs through it with the sound of a fifth grade Oliver Twist performance. Ron Perlman is a bit better, but still not plausible. They are saved however by a handful of supporting actors who play their parts very well. The two young members of the cast, Robert Sheehan, who plays Kay, and Claire Foy, the suspected witch, lead the way. It seems like they did their homework better than the two leads.
The setting for Season is split among a series of plague ridden, filthy towns that have diseased corps at every turn. It is quite disgusting and effective at setting the tone of mystery and suspense. Combining that with the possibility of witch attacks reveals that the tone is well executed. In the film’s climax however, there is the common fantasy film ailment of lame CGI monsters. Real actors would be more successful and keep a bit of credibility to the religious fiction plot. While full of positive aspects, it is difficult to become immersed in Season of the Witch because of frequent missteps. (7.0 out of 10)
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