Text Review: Season of the Witch

Well, I just got back from seeing 'Season of the Witch,' the new period-piece/horror film starring Nicholas Cage.
In the movie, two crusaders, played by Nick Cage and Ron Pearlman, return home after a decade of holy war. Disillusioned by the things that they have done in 'God's name,' they quickly discover their homeland changed beyond recognition by the black plague. When they are captured as deserters while trying to resupply at a local town, the local clergy makes them an offer; if they agree to transport a young girl accused of being a witch to a far abbey for trial, then they will be pardoned of their desertion. The girl, though outwardly innocent, stands accused of starting and spreading the black plague through the country.
On their journey, the two crusaders are joined by an eclectic group of disposable characters, including a priest, another knight, a swindler/guide, and a choir boy intent on proving himself worthy of being a knight.
All in all, it's a decent story, but I think the reason most people decided to see this movie was to learn if it would be a disastrous repetition of Nick Cage's last flirtation with horror, the abysmal remake of 'The Wicker Man.'
Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately, depending on your point of view), Cage seems to be on his best behavior here, and although he does a fairly good job as a disillusioned man of faith grappling with his own past, his character is shallowly written and he doesn't have much to work with. It's not that it's a bad role, it's just that it's rather bland and easily the most forgettable of the group.
Ron Pearlman, cast in his usual role of lovable bruiser here, also does a fairly decent job, and was undeniably the most memorable character in the film.
The film does have some atmospheric moments, but not nearly enough, and it seems to eschew horror entirely in the last 20 minutes, where it suddenly decides to be a CGI-driven action movie with some horror overtones to it, kind of like 'Hellboy' but without the brilliance of Guillermo del Toro.
Final Analysis: 'Season of the Witch' isn't campy enough to satisfy those who are looking for a repeat of 'The Wicker Man,' nor is it scary enough to appeal to its core audience.
In short, anybody who goes to see this expecting a terrible film will be disappointed, as will anyone that goes to this expecting a good film.
Those like myself, who weren't expecting anything but a disposable hour and a half or so of entertainment, will be satisfied, but not incredibly so.
'Season of the Witch': Not a good movie. Not a bad movie. Just sort of 'there'.