Season of the Witch (2011)
Average Rating: 3.6/10
Reviews Counted: 115
Fresh: 11 | Rotten: 104
Slow, cheap-looking, and dull, Season of the Witch fails even as unintentional comedy.
Average Rating: 4/10
Critic Reviews: 26
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 24
Slow, cheap-looking, and dull, Season of the Witch fails even as unintentional comedy.
liked it
Average Rating: 2.7/5
User Ratings: 77,980
Movie Info
Oscar (R) winner Nicolas Cage (National Treasure, Ghost Rider) and Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Hellboy II) star in this supernatural action adventure about a heroic Crusader and his fellow soldier who must transport a woman accused of being a witch to a remote monastery. The arduous journey across perilous terrain tests their strength and courage as they discover the girl's secret and find themselves battling a terrifyingly powerful force that will determine the fate of the world. -- (C) Relativity
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Cast
-
Nicolas Cage
Behmen -
Ron Perlman
Felson -
Stephen Campbell Moore
Debelzaq -
Stephen Graham
Hagamar -
Ulrich Thomsen
Eckhart -
Claire Foy
The Girl -
Robbie Sheehan
Kaylan -
Christopher Lee
Cardinal D'Ambroise -
Kevin Rees
Dying Monk -
Andrew Hefler
Jail Bailiff -
Fernanda Dorogi
Old Woman (Givaudon) -
Rebekah Kennedy
Peasant Turk Girl -
Matt Devere
Sergeant in Arms -
Róbert Bánlaki
Livery Boy -
Barna Illyés
Cardinal's Priest -
Kevin Killebrew
Demon Voice -
Simone Kirby
Midwife -
Elen Rhys
Peasant Girl -
Nick Sidi
Priest -
Rory McCann
Soldier Commander -
Nicola Sloane
Spinster -
Brian F. O'Byrne
Grandmaster -
-
Lisa Marie Dupree
Tavern Girl -
Gergely Horpácsi
Soldier -
László Imre
Soldier -
Norbert Kovács
Soldier -
Zsolt Magyari
Soldier
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Season of the Witch Trailer & Photos
All Critics (115) | Top Critics (26) | Fresh (11) | Rotten (104) | DVD (8)
After a while, the movie tires of the witch business and trots out a plot twist that permits the effects department to spend money.
Another forgettable trifle from Cage.
Director Dominic Sena sets a quick pace; the dull moments are brightened by the unexpectedly likable team of Cage and Perlman.
Cage is effective as a falling down drunk in Las Vegas or a treasure hunter navigating goofy road trips but not as a disillusioned champion of the Church going one-on-one with a demon. Steven Seagal would have been more believable.
It's Centurion Deux without the second-coming-of-Carpenter pretense, though you still wish the trashiness were more distinctive.
Cage alternates between leaden line readings and thunderous outbursts, making his accomplished costars Ulrich Thomsen and Stephen Campbell Moore look even better. But the movie's worst aspect is the CGI, which packs no scares whatsoever.
The filmmakers try to use special effects to cover up the weaknesses of the story, but even on that point they fail pretty badly.
Not the stinker that everyone says it is, but you do have to ignore its flaws in order to be entertained.
It's an Uwe Boll kind of film that's been directed with a certain degree of competency by previous Cage collaborator Dominic Sena.
Have low expectations for this movie and you might just be surprised.
I may be in the minority of critics to think so, but Season Of The Witch is an enjoyable medieval thriller that's well-made in spite of some moments of silliness.
Although I will likely be disemboweled from my toes to my nose (metaphorically speaking only, I hope) for this proclamation, I didn't think Season of the Witch was all that bad!*
Cage's disappointingly subdued performance stands as the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back...
God's teeth!
Guns are fun in movies, but bashing about with broadswords speaks to the 12-year-old in all of us.
For long, long stretches, [it's] too leaden and dour to be any fun at all.
It's amazing how little entertainment value there is in watching Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman play world-weary Crusaders in a movie called Season Of The Witch. Come on! It's Ghost Rider and Hellboy!
Anti-Oscar-movie people, this one is for you.
Just how big was that IRS bill, anyway?
It's a bit cheesy but there is action and tension and strong graphic effects - and even a deadpan moment
Avoid it -- wait for it -- like the Black Plague.
A Nicolas Cage movie where Nicolas Cage doesn't lose his shit. Avoid.
Spellbinding it's not.
Audience Reviews for Season of the Witch
Cage and Ron Perlman star as two heroic Crusaders turned deserters who are captured and tasked with either escorting an imprisoned, supposed plague-causing witch to her trial, or dying for abandoning the war. Just because the young woman is in a cage doesn't make her any less dangerous, though, and the closer they get to their destination, the greater the peril becomes for them and their companions.
Season of the Witch actually turned out to be a better supernatural medieval flick than I expected. Sure, it's often unintentionally goofy and the action scenes are filmed and edited in a way where it can be tough to see what's even going on, but it wasn't boring and some parts were even fairly exciting. The ending seemed a little rushed, but surprisingly, I still find myself recommending this to anyone who's interested. It's not a masterpiece, but I enjoyed it for what it was.
Super Reviewer
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- Felson: When this is over, we will sit in the halls that my fathers sat in and drink ale and tell tales few men have lived to tell!
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- Behmen: Grant me courage, oh Lord, as I am thy servant.
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- Debelzaq: We're going to need more holy water.
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- The Girl: We believe what we want to believe.
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- Kaylan: Honor is not a thing to be dismissed or forgotten.
Discussion Forum
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Latest News on Season of the Witch
January 7, 2011:
Critics Consensus: Season of the Witch Doesn't Cast a SpellThis week at the movies, we?ve got courageous Crusaders (Season of the Witch, starring Nicolas Cage...
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January 6, 2011:
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Foreign Titles
- Der letzte Tempelritter (DE)
- Le Dernier des Templiers (FR)










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