HANNA

“Sometimes children are bad people too”

            When I first saw the preview for Hanna I thought that I would just be watching a young girl with dark origins kick some major ass. This premise is the surface but the deeper plot is a standard “coming-of-age” story. From a toddler Hanna is hidden deep in the cold woods by her father, Erik (Eric Bana). For years Hanna is trained by her equally bad-ass father to be a weapon of revenge. As Hanna sticks to Erik’s plan she is submerged into a new world, one that fills the emotional and social needs that have been so lacking in her cold world. Who can blame her? At sixteen her social circle was daddy and the arctic moose.

            Hanna’s only connection to her mother is a photo booth sheet of pictures and her Grimm’s Fairy Tales book. At first I thought this was only chosen because of the family’s German origins but the core of Hanna unfolds like a true Grimm Tale. (The brothers would have been clapping at the end of the movie.) A gruesome revenge story that includes a Southern Witch, Marissa whose flawless appearance masks her true nature.  Like a Grimm tale the plot isn’t realistic but the story is more about the characters and their actions. That’s why director Joe Wright should kiss whoever casted the movie because the acting was top-notch. Saoirse Ronan, who plays Hanna, is very convincing as the sheltered wild-child. Even her fair unearthly looks set her apart. I also really enjoyed Cate Blanchett’s Marissa because the villain wasn’t super evil with no fear or emotions. Marissa is smart, manipulative, and a nasty perfectionist. But when she first witnesses what Hanna is capable of Marissa’s face is full of shock and horror, along with deep awe and pride at what has been created.

            The pace and the action of the film was nice and even, with enough ups to keep the audience always entertained but the needed downs to give us a breath too. The tension could have been thicker but I’m afraid something of value probably would have been traded. The downtime focused on Hanna’s interactions with an English family on vacation. Even though the family is odd in their own right they are a strong contrast to Hanna’s childhood experience. And provide comic relief which gets a thumb’s up from me.

Random bits:

-       Marissa was a great villain but her lead henchman, Mr. “I’m-too-evil-for-pants”, is winning the race for creepiest creep of 2011 so far (for all my Pride and Prejudice fans he played Mr. Collins!)

-       I loved Hanna’s friend Sophie, the English teen. I’m pretty sure some of her lines will be quoted soon.

Verdict: Great acting, good action, but not a complete plot. I believe its worth going to the theaters but if you are not completely sold defiantly catch Hanna at the dollar theater.