Jaden Jordan
- Mar 1, 2020
- 3 min read

Gretel & Hansel (2020)

Updated: Aug 2, 2021

The Breakdown: In this adaption of the classic Grimm fairytale a young girl and her little brother leave their mothers' house in search of better prospects, and find themselves in greater danger than they could ever imagine.

Watch If: You like the dark fairytale aesthetic.

Not If: You're looking for a more adult film, or actually want to be scared.

SECONDARY FACTS

Overall Rating: 3.4

Length: 1:27

Country: Canada, USA, Ireland

Language: English

Scare Factor: 1/5

Gore Factor: 1/5

REVIEW

THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Gretel & Hansel Is a gorgeous film that is breathtaking to look at, but the story falls disappointingly flat, though it might be a decently scary film for younger (preteen) horror fans.

PREMISE:3

If you're going to make an adaptation of something as well known as Hansel and Gretel, then you need to make sure you bring something original to the table. And for the first half of the film, this does. It certainly delivers on the "dark fantasy" aesthetic, and is truly delicious to watch, but the story line itself is predictable and unsatisfying.

ACTING:3

Sophia Lillis (Gretel) and Alice Krige (Holda the Witch) both do phenomenal jobs, managing to capture their characters with a precision and subtlety deserving of recognition. The rest of the characters either don't have enough screen time for me to offer commentary, or are toddlers, and the writers should perhaps have taken note of the age and capabilities of the character when writing Hansel's lines. You cannot write a character that relies on the actors portrayal to offer any real character development, when said actor is so very young.

AUDIO AND VISUALS:5

This is perhaps one of the most soul-bendingly gorgeous films I've seen in a long time. Every shot, every angle, every framing and lighting decision shows thought, preparation, and care. This movie was loved, and it shows through. There isn't a single detail that seems misplaced or ill conceived, and every second of this film is a feast for the eyes. The filmmakers have managed to capture a dreamscape, and watching it satisfies something deep down beneath your bones.

ATMOSPHERE:3 -SPOILER-

The first two thirds of this film are brilliantly compiled, managing to ramp up both dread and hopelessness with a steady and measured pace that lends itself well to manifesting a knot in the pit of the viewers stomach. But the skill shown in this part makes the finally that much more disappointing, The PG13 rating limited the places they could go with this film, but the problems I have with it have nothing to do with gore or horror, but rather, with the fact that there are no consequences for anyone in the film. The 'good' guys get out almost completely unscathed, and for almost no reason. Once you figure out that the tense scenes aren't going to amount to anything, all of those masterfully done tension building moments loose all of their punch, and gives the entire film an overwhelming sense of being unsatisfying.

DELIVERY:3

There is a shift about three quarters of the way through this film where it almost feels like it was made by an entirely different crew. I don't know if this is due to a shortage on deadline, budget, or something else, but the ending definitely feels rushed, as though something in the original conception didn't quite make it in, and the filmmakers were forced to make do.

Understand, this is not a bad film. I quiet enjoyed watching it, and I think its an excellent piece of horror for the preteen spoopy fans out there. I just wish that I could see whatever masterpiece this was originally conceived to be.