Hansel & Gretel (2002)

A father reads a bedtime story to his kids (Dakota Fanning). It's the story of Hansel (Jacob Smith) & Gretel (Taylor Momsen). While their father (Gerald McRaney) is away, the evil stepmother (Delta Burke) abandons the kids in the Magic Forest. They meet the Boogeyman (Tom Arnold) and a Troll (Bobcat Goldthwait). They befriend the Sandman (Howie Mandel) and a Wood Faerie (Alana Austin). They get lost in a storm and encounter a Witch (Lynn Redgrave) with her delicious house.This is a cheap ugly looking movie. The sets are bad. The Troll and Boogeyman costumes are really ugly and cheap. I don't even know why they are needed for the movie. Howie Mandel is being a little wacky which is good. Alana Austin is sexed up with her short shorts and a gun? I don't know why the camera is lingering on her legs for this kids movie. The movie goes to Lynn Redgrave and that section is fine. Although I always thought the point of the story is that the kids got greedy.

A fun film. Yes, it's long. Yes, it does seem a bit redundant at times, but the modern twists and dialogue and, if you are paying close attention, a bit of Monty Python and various other more mature film lines tucked in for fun, not to mention a certain chorus from a Metallica song, Sandman.Howie Mandell did a great job as the Sandman but the character seemed a bit off with it's stereotypical "gay lisp" and at the same time, ogling the Wood Fairy - who resembles a certain young lady from Tomb Raiders with her Fairy wands strapped to her thighs and her short shorts. Delta Burke was fun as the Wicked Stepmother. You truly wanted to see her get her just desserts in the end, but she doesn't. And even that was a nice twist on the tale. Lynn Redgrave always adds to a role. She is superb as the fiendish female version of Hannibal Letcher. This is aimed at an older audience, not little children. The humor and the references are going to go over the heads of the younger set.

Hansel and Gretel, is the story of two kids who meet a witch in a house made of gingerbread. But this version, is twisted.The stepmother, wants to live in a house with a tv, and thinks the kids will stop her from that. So, she takes them into the woods, and leaves. Hansel & Gretel get lost, and meet the sandman, a wood fairy and the troll.But, a "twister" blows them towards a gingerbread house, and a near-sited old woman comes out, offering them food... but, the woman is not what she seems...This film has a great cast, and the story is great. But, there are several gags that slow down the storyline. One of which, is that the story is being told by a father telling his children. (the father is "reading" the book, but makes things up, which explains the twisted version)This film is good, but the gags might tempt you to turn it off, before you even see the witch in her gingerbread house.7/10

The Brothers Grimm wrote a short story called "Hansel & Gretel." Tag Entertainment did a fair job at converting it into a movie, although the film probably would play better on television. The film switches back and forth between the actual story of Hansel & Gretel and the father who is reading the Hansel & Gretel story to his kids. The kids, one of whom is Dakota Fanning (from "I Am Sam") are far better actors than the adults. Delta Burke's character, in particular, is very exaggerated and over-the-top, in the style of Edie McClurg. The woods that Hansel & Gretel get lost in are painfully obvious indoor sets. Trees in the background are flat paintings and, in the more distant background, there appears a blue wall where there should be dense stands of trees. Kids won't notice, though, and the movie is aimed at kids. The Sandman, as portrayed by Howie Mandel, comes across as buffoonish and silly and not very likable. And why oh why does almost every kid-oriented movie have to contain so many farts and belches? But of course "Hansel & Gretel" made no promises to greatness, and the average kid will enjoy it.