In The Last Witch Hunter, the star of the Fast & Furious saga finally shines a spotlight on his true love, his original D&D character, Kaulder.
Is there a stranger presence in Hollywood than Vin Diesel? Studios have found a couple of roles he can live in for over a decade, and almost every other project with his name on it has fallen apart. He’s Dominic Toretto, Richard B. Riddick, and Groot. When he attempted to add his original Dungeons & Dragons character to the list with The Last Witch Hunter, it didn’t work out.
The cultural legacy of Dungeons & Dragons has seen the largest shift of any media property. Forty years ago, mentioning a TTRPG would be easy shorthand for labeling a character a nerd in a movie. Today, the game’s film adaptation is a critical darling, and the biggest name in streaming entertainment is a bunch of nerdy voice actors playing Dungeons and Dragons.
What is The Last Witch Hunter About?
In the 14th century, the Black Plague consumed at least 75 million people. According to The Last Witch Hunter, that nightmarish pandemic that almost wiped out humanity was the work of the evil Witch Queen. A group of brave warriors led by a man named Kaulder attacked the Witch Queen’s lair and took her life. In her final act of vengeance, she cursed Kaulder with eternal life. With his life’s goal accomplished, Kaulder was forced to wander the Earth for generations, endlessly mourning the loss of his beloved wife. In the modern era, Kaulder is employed by a group called the Axe and Cross. The team works tirelessly to maintain a tenuous peace treaty between humans and witches. Any witch that steps out of line is put to the sword by Kaulder. A plan emerges that could resurrect the Witch Queen and unleash a new plague on humanity. With the help of a priest and a friendly witch, Kaulder must risk his eternal life to protect the world from the vengeance of evil witches.
What is The Last Witch Hunter Based On?
The Last Witch Hunter is a fully original story, despite constant comparisons to The Witcher. The story was inspired by conversations between original screenwriter Corey Goodman and Vin Diesel. Vin Diesel got into Dungeons & Dragons as a young man. His favorite character was a witch hunter named Melkor, a name Diesel borrowed from J.R.R. Tolkien. In those conversations, Goodman wrote a script about the character. Since Melkor wasn’t an original name, Goodman had to grant the character a new moniker. He catapulted the character into the modern day and called it The Last Witch Hunter. Ultimately, Kaulder is Melkor. He’s everything Diesel loved about his original character. Finally, Vin Diesel could play his icon in front of everyone. It’s not an honor that many big D&D fans have enjoyed. It’s pretty much just Diesel and the entire cast of Critical Role. Diesel even played Kaulder alongside Vexhalia and Grog once.
Is The Last Witch Hunter Worth Remembering?
The Last Witch Hunter brought in $146 million at the box office against a $90 million budget. Conventional Hollywood wisdom recommends doubling the production budget to account for marketing, suggesting that the film lost Lionsgate around $40 million. The film debuted alongside the sixth Paranormal Activity film and the live-action Jem and the Holograms reboot. It was comfortably bested in its opening weekend by The Martian, Goosebumps, and Bridge of Spies. Its financial take was disappointing, but its critical reception was withering. It’s earned a 17% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience score was a bit more forgiving with a 44% positive score. One of the few positive reviews, written by Tara Brady of the Irish Times, called it “Harry Potter for emo kids” and still managed to recommend it. The world was not kind to The Last Witch Hunter, but the film doesn’t do much to earn better.
The Last Witch Hunter is packed with archetypal characters, familiar scenarios, and generic story beats. There’s very little original material on display, but it’s a competent entry in the dark fantasy genre. The D&D references feel like knowing nods, but every other element of the story feels borrowed. For his part, Diesel is uniquely qualified for this role. It’s easy to tell when he’s on autopilot and when he’s delivering, and though his character is humorless and grim, Diesel manages to make him feel real. There’s a lot of fun to be had for those willing to turn off their brain, but the over-insistence on boring lore details makes it hard to care about the plot. It feels as if Vin or the film’s three credited screenwriters were expecting to pull a franchise out of this idea. Bizarrely, they still might.
Diesel has been teasing the idea of a sequel to The Last Witch Hunter since the first film’s release. In 2020, he confirmed that the project was still in motion at Lionsgate. There’s been no word in the three years since. Whether the story ever continues, it’s charming to see Vin Diesel get to live his dream of portraying his childhood D&D character. Fans of the actor owe it to him to see him at his happiest. This passion project didn’t work out, but more performers need to try to make their favorite OC into a blockbuster icon. It’ll probably be funny every time.
