'Season of the Witch' - Supernatural Fantasy Meets Road Trip Movie with Mix Results

Over the years I have come to the realization that you can do a lot worse than watching a Nicolas Cage movie, of course I have also come to realize that you could also do a lot better. Thus the decision on whether or not to catch a Nicolas Cage film usually hinges on what else is playing that week. Lucky for " Season of the Witch " then that it was a bad week for new releases, or Nick's new film would have been relegated to the rank of glorified rental.

Having said that, unless you abhor period pieces that don't bother with either getting the accent or proper phraseology right (it worked for "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (1991)," and "Knights Tale (2001)"), the movie really isn't a total waste of your time. Overall, the movie is a slow moving supernatural fantasy that thinly masquerades as a 14th century road trip comedy, which makes it entertainment enough to watch on a week when nothing new/good is has been released.

The Plot
The plot is rather simple. Two Knights, Behman (Cage) and Felson (Perlman), get tired of crusading and killing in the name of God, and decide to make their way back to jolly ole England. However their desertion is discovered and they are given a choice; help take a girl accused of witchcraft (actually accused of bringing on the Black Plague) on a road trip to a castle full of monks for a trial, or suffer the consequences for their desertion. They make the only logical choice there is to make, and off they go with a Priest, a Guide, an Altar Boy and another Knight on the road trip from hell. Of course, they also are accompanied by the witch who is stuck traveling in a cage. The witch is actually a possessed girl who shows an unusual amount of physical strength. Aside from a few acceptable losses, they make it to the castle, where the supernatural fun begins.

Nicolas Cage
It's fair to say Cage tries, but this isn't "The Rock (1996)," "National Treasure (2004)" or even "Face Off (1997)," which means he is an ill fit for the role of Behman, a Templar Knight in search of redemption. Still, it is said that Cage learned to ride a horse for the film, and he manages to handle a sword without inflicting any bodily harm on himself, which is good. Unencumbered by having to take on a British accent, Cage delivers most of his lines in the same manner he would in any other film he has started in. Still, if you let your imagination wander a bit, you almost come to believe that Cage is a Knight in search of redemption.

Special Effects
For what it is, a film with a $40 million dollar budget, the special effects are not bad, the problem is that you wait almost an hour and 20 minutes for most of them. Most films of this genre would have sprinkled the special effects generously throughout the length of the feature. But hey, there is still those last 15 minutes to look forward to.

The Supporting Cast
Maybe it's just me, but every time I see Ron Perlman in a film, I still think of Hellboy. It's not that Perlman does a bad job as Cage's side kick, Felson, it's just that at some point along the way I kept hoping he would turn red and clobber someone. As for Claire Foy (aka, the witch), she does okay for what she's given to do, but if truth be told, I hope she is a lot better in her new television series, "Being Human." The rest of the cast is highly forgettable, which should make both Cage and Perlman feel better about their roles.

Overall Rating
Okay, so maybe it's not a rental, but it's darn close, unless you forget all that you have read above, throw caution to the wind, and insist on enjoying the film.