THIS is a gleefully violent fantasy that expands the story of two children held hostage by a crone in a gingerbread house into a full-blooded battle between the forces of good and evil.

The script marries action movie convention with an olde-worlde setting, providing the titular heroes with an arsenal of pithy one-liners.

Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton dispatch their prey with aplomb, both enjoying the physical aspects of their roles.

However, frenetic action sequences cannot compensate for flimsy plotting and a paucity of character development.

Director Tommy Wirkola adds lashings of gore, splattering one crone’s guts all over the camera lens.

This is no slavish retread of the Brothers Grimm. The 3D version of the film is available exclusively on Blu-ray.