Snow White and the Huntsman Review

Disney’s 1937 classic ‘’Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’’ is revered among audiences and critics alike as easily the greatest fairy tale film and also the best animated film the studio ever produced. 75 Years later with the tale of Red Riding Hood being reimagined, Snow White is the next story in line; directed by Rupert Sanders ‘’Snow White and the Huntsman’’ does an acceptable job of updating the tale for modern audiences with its darker tone and hints of Lord of the Rings epicness mixed in.

This film tells the story of young Snow White who is imprisoned in her own castle as a young girl by the ruthless and cold Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) who has killed her father in secret and usurped his throne and through doing so is now corrupting the land with her obsession to be ‘’the fairest of them all’’. Upon demanding Snow White’s heart to break the corruption binding her, the titular princess (played by Kristen Stewart) escapes and begins a harrowing journey to her Duke Hammond’s stronghold in the mountains, all the while being pursued by the queen’s brother Finn and meeting different allies along the way from a huntsman who widowed huntsman who defects to keeping her safe to a band of humorous and charming dwarves. This iteration features a much darker story than its predecessors which is mostly shown through the queen’s continuous commitment to evil throughout the film from extracting the youth from a poor young woman to the decay and grotty nature spreading throughout the many environments. This seemingly endless darkness is complimented nicely by the more pleasant and beautiful environments such as the Sanctuary; though unfortunately we are never given enough time to take these lavish locales in for long before the plot jumps abruptly into another action sequence. The final assault on Ravenna’s castle is also disappointingly brief, failing to match the scale of genre staples before it and ends up feeling like a missed opportunity despite granting the character of Snow White herself a much more frontal role leading the Duke’s army to victory.

The performances themselves are a scattered bunch unfortunately; Kristen Stewart’s allure may fit the character well for this particular film but her acting ultimately falls flat considering this iteration of the popular heroine transforming from helpless princess to full blown captain of the Duke’s army. On the other hand Theron as Queen Ravenna is excellent, succeeding to a large degree at capturing the sinister and vain nature that made the original animated queen so memorable while also injecting a much darker evil that lives within her that clearly shows through her rage towards her brother for failing to capture Snow White in one particularly dramatic scene that makes you truly loath her character and want to watch the heroes triumph. Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman replaces the handsome prince with mixed results, hitting with his emotionally charged reflections on his long dead wife and missing with his mentoring of Snow White that fails to build a significant bond between the two which makes the inevitable relationship the two share much less believable. As for the dwarves they have their own capably amusing charm despite failing to match the tall standards set by Dopey, Happy, Grumpy and the like. Their personalities all vary, playing off each other well, often grumpily bantering back and forth with laugh out loud moments around halfway into the film.

By far the movie’s strongest asset lies in its visual and auditory presentation. The vast array of equally impressive locales the characters traverse in the adventure are all sights to behold even the eerie places such as the Dark Forest with its gloomy mist and prickly branches rapidly spreading and engulfing Snow White much like the scary trees did in the animated classic. The attention to detail also shows in the character design, especially the redesigned magic mirror will beautifully trickles from the wall to form a faceless yet exquisite golden figure. The glass army Ravenna has at her disposal also deserves a special mention; the way in which their sharp exteriors and their glassy structures breaking and scattering upon death are both excellently animated. The costume designs and narration at the beginning of the film both add a touch of authenticity which is also combined with a suitably fantastical musical score that is highly effective whenever a more inviting environment is present on screen. The final battle is populated with some well done if not spectacular sound effects that definitely immerses you in the destructive conflict to a lesser extent. The designs for creatures, most notably the troll on the bridge are also imaginative despite their brief appearance and manage to flesh out this fairy tale world only slightly further.

While Snow White and the Huntsman certainly lives in the shadow of its delightful predecessor, it stands to translate the classic tale into a darker place and for that it mildly succeeds; it’s unfortunate that the characters simply aren’t as memorable and the action fails to live up to the best of the genre but those seeking rich and detailed environments complimented by noteworthy special effects will not be disappointed.

Rating: 3/5 Stars