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Review: Snow White & The Huntsman (1 1/2 stars)

Posted by Dustin Monk on

What the hell was that hot mess?

So, this was supposed to be an edgier, darker take on the beloved fairy tale of Snow White.  Well, leaving behind that the original Brothers Grimm Snow White was actually pretty dark itself and that the popular version of the fairy tale is really Disney’s watering-down for mass consumption, I was still initially excited by the prospect of a Joan-of-Arc-ish Snow White. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

What did happen was this: a passive protagonist running away from everything for the first half of the movie (including letting a horse drown in tar and scarred women to burn along with their secret village which was realllly easy to find); empty and/or cliched characterizations of the Huntsman, William, the albino villain guy; a blind dwarf who prophesied and stuff just for the audienceas if we didn’t already know Snow White was “the one”; and possibly worst of all: Charlize Theron shrieking for half the movie “WHEEERRREEE ISSSS SHEEEE?” In the dark forest, Charlize. Snow White is in the dark forest. I’m serious: half her lines consisted of those three words screamed at ear-splitting levels.

The “plot” worked because all of the characters were so amenable to Snow White’s needs. That always makes for things to go smoothly, but it definitely doesn’t make an interesting movie. Which is a problem for a movie as long as this one.

The film did offer some very interesting and eye-yummy visuals though. In particular, the acid trippy scene in the dark forest was great and dark and even a little terrifying. When the evil queen wasn’t speaking, she was either getting milk baths or writhing in her own tar-pit-like bloody goo and ravens. Some soldiers exploded like glass. I like exploding-glass soldiers.

I didn’t even get to the love triangle between Snow White, the Huntsman, and William, but that’s because it wasn’t even a thing until two-thirds of the way through and even then it wasn’t anything because the Huntsman and William were buddies. A love triangle only works if there’s conflict between the parties involved.

Snow White & The Huntsman had few high points – most of which were sets and costumes – and, honestly, too many low points to count. A shame because the moments that do stand out show potential for a movie that could’ve and should’ve been.

Review: Snow White and the Huntsman (3 Stars)

Posted by Charlie Truong on

This incarnation of Snow White lived up to my expectations while falling short in some areas.  A few improvements would have made this film a classic.

The film’s premise is no different than other versions of Snow White.  There’s an evil queen, played by Charlize Theron, who wants to kill Kristen Stewart’s Snow White because the queen wants to be the fairest in all the land.  The queen sends Chris Hemsworth’s Huntsman after Snow White when she escapes into the dark forest.  Yes, the seven dwarfs depicted here as well.  And, yes, there’s a poisonous apple.  What sets apart this Snow White from others is the beautiful aesthetics.

The cinematography, costumes, and art design are gorgeous to watch.  The design and tone of the film is very similar to The Witcher game series.  It’s a gritty fantasy world that is at once familiar but still captivating.  Any movie can have special effects but very few have effects with good design.  I recall one scene in particular where the evil queen transforms messily back into human form from a flock of ravens.  Regarding the costumes, the knights and heraldry in particular were done very well.  In fact, I wish the HBO series Game of Thrones adopted a similar approach.  The colors and coat of arms on the knights popped out as opposed to the muted look on the television series.

Kristen Stewart is serviceable as Snow White.  To be fair to her, there’s not much for her to do.  Her character is too pure and inherently good to be interesting.  Chris Hemsworth is a star.  Even after Thor and the Avengers, some may still have doubted if he was the real deal.  He has such an incredible screen presence that it cannot be denied.  We will need to see him in some non-blockbuster roles to see if he can do more, but there’s plenty of time for that.  Charlize Theron gives an intense, sinister performance as the villainous queen.  She partly channeled her Young Adult character in this role, someone who is outwardly beautiful yet rotten at the core.

The areas lacking in the movie were in the action and the plot.  I am no longer a fan of “shaky cam” action.  It’s terrible when one cannot discern what is happening on screen.  I wonder if the directors are not able to notice the issues since they may be previewing the film on a smaller screen.  With the plot, the movie took too long to get started.  We probably are not introduced to the Hunstman until a good 30 minutes into the film.  Plus, while I enjoyed Charlize Theron’s performance, the movie dwelt too long with the queen.  We get it.  She’s evil.  Lastly, the supposed romance between Snow White and the Hunstman feels like an afterthought.  They barely seemed to have any real conversation throughout the movie.  But their love is pure and beautiful, I guess.

Despite the issues I had with the film, I highly recommend it for fantasy fans.  It’s rare to see this type of classic high fantasy from Hollywood that was not a best-selling teen novel to start.

 

 

Expectations: Snow White and the Huntsman

Posted by Charlie Truong on

I imagine most fantasy fans were quite surprised when they saw the trailer for this movie, especially after learning Twilight’s Kristen Stewart would be in the starring role.  The movie looks really good, at least, in the brief snippets from the trailer.  The preview gives the impression of a much darker take on the Snow White tale with a large dose of high fantasy.

This should be a fun action adventure.  In fact, when I first saw the preview, Willow or Ladyhawke immediately sprang to mind.  I am not expecting a classic film such as Lord of the Rings.  Rather, I think this movie will simply be an enjoyable ride.  I might not be telling my children’s children about it, but I should be having a good time in the theater.