Snow White & the Huntsman
(C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
'Snow White & the Huntsman' (directed by newcomer Rupert Sanders) follows the Grimm faerie tale story. But this surrrrre ain't like Disney's animated version. There's something mildly Shakespearean about this movie - as the 3 main leads are quite emotionally damaged. Snow White (Kristen Stewart, of Twilight) grows up an orphan under the thumb of the callous, but stunningly beautiful Queen Ravella (Charlize Theron), who married Snow's father, then killed him on their wedding night. Snow is kept prisoner in the castle's north tower while Ravenna terrorizes her subjects & sucks the souls out of young girls so that she can remain young. But when an opportunity to escape arises, Snow White seizes it; fleeing into the treacherous Dark Forest.
There, she meets The Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, of The Avengers), who agrees to escort her through the dangerous forest to the estate of the rebel duke who is sheltering refugees from Ravenna's purges. Along the way, they encounter harpies, an untamed troll {loved him}, a host of whimsical fairies, magical beasts, a band of dwarves, & a white deer while being pursued by the queen's brother, Finn (Sam Spruell), & his band of un-merry men. The infamous poison red apple makes its unwelcomed appearance at the most inopportune of times. And before you know it, with vengeance to fuel their fire, Snow White, The Huntsman, and all their allies summon enough victim entitlement to thrust themselves into an epic battle against the evil queen at her seaside domain.
'SW&tH' includes plenty of violence with scary creatures that will remind many of Willow, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Harry Potter & the like. Because of a grim tone (almost too much so), this version is NOT child-friendly. But there IS an audience for this type of film; as evidenced by the casting of Kristen Stewart. Visually, this film is a wonder, with several eye-popping sequences. 1st-time director Sanders really lets his imagination run free with the help of Greg Frasier's evocative cinematography, beautifully macabre production design, Colleen Atwood's amazing costumes, & good use of CGI. There are 3 standout visual moments for me: when Queen Ravenna submerges herself & then rises out of a milk bath; a sequence when Snow White enters the faerie land of 'Sanctuary' (I got movie magic chills); and a weird scene in which a flock of crows come together to form the visage of the Queen. This is a VERY cool movie to look at.
The film's most notable (and discordant) performance belongs to Charlize Theron. Ravenna's traumatic childhood paves the way for her pain, ferocity, depravity, & malice. Theron is pure bonkers (but in a good way!). And yet, I think her performance could have been better directed, actually (made to be tighter). Chris Hemsworth offers a nice low-key portrayal as the Huntsman; allowing the tragedy that haunts him to dictate his every decision. And contrary to strong popular opinion, I actually thought Kristen Stewart was fine. But that has more to do with her scaling back on all her usual "ticks", and not that she gave a particularly stellar performance. It was also neat seeing normal-sized actors like Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, & Ray Winstone play the dwarves (minimized by special effects).
You know, this movie is striking & ambitious, but the actual storytelling is pretty flaccid (weak narrative priorities). Subplots come & go. Some of the dialogue is strained. And while the movie is certainly atmospheric, there's also a listless/passionless quality throughout. See, I love a good medieval fantasy epic. I liked Snow White's rousing battle speech near the end. As far as re-imaginings of faerie tales are concerned, this is one of the more inventive ones that I know of. I also enjoy a bleak tone (which this has). But with a better script and some tighter editing, 'Snow White & the Huntsman' would have flowed better & not felt as laborious as it sometimes did. It just shows you that even with everything lined-up (appealing cast, immersive visuals, tried-&-true story), a faulty script can nearly ruin it all.
There, she meets The Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, of The Avengers), who agrees to escort her through the dangerous forest to the estate of the rebel duke who is sheltering refugees from Ravenna's purges. Along the way, they encounter harpies, an untamed troll {loved him}, a host of whimsical fairies, magical beasts, a band of dwarves, & a white deer while being pursued by the queen's brother, Finn (Sam Spruell), & his band of un-merry men. The infamous poison red apple makes its unwelcomed appearance at the most inopportune of times. And before you know it, with vengeance to fuel their fire, Snow White, The Huntsman, and all their allies summon enough victim entitlement to thrust themselves into an epic battle against the evil queen at her seaside domain.
'SW&tH' includes plenty of violence with scary creatures that will remind many of Willow, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Harry Potter & the like. Because of a grim tone (almost too much so), this version is NOT child-friendly. But there IS an audience for this type of film; as evidenced by the casting of Kristen Stewart. Visually, this film is a wonder, with several eye-popping sequences. 1st-time director Sanders really lets his imagination run free with the help of Greg Frasier's evocative cinematography, beautifully macabre production design, Colleen Atwood's amazing costumes, & good use of CGI. There are 3 standout visual moments for me: when Queen Ravenna submerges herself & then rises out of a milk bath; a sequence when Snow White enters the faerie land of 'Sanctuary' (I got movie magic chills); and a weird scene in which a flock of crows come together to form the visage of the Queen. This is a VERY cool movie to look at.
The film's most notable (and discordant) performance belongs to Charlize Theron. Ravenna's traumatic childhood paves the way for her pain, ferocity, depravity, & malice. Theron is pure bonkers (but in a good way!). And yet, I think her performance could have been better directed, actually (made to be tighter). Chris Hemsworth offers a nice low-key portrayal as the Huntsman; allowing the tragedy that haunts him to dictate his every decision. And contrary to strong popular opinion, I actually thought Kristen Stewart was fine. But that has more to do with her scaling back on all her usual "ticks", and not that she gave a particularly stellar performance. It was also neat seeing normal-sized actors like Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, & Ray Winstone play the dwarves (minimized by special effects).
You know, this movie is striking & ambitious, but the actual storytelling is pretty flaccid (weak narrative priorities). Subplots come & go. Some of the dialogue is strained. And while the movie is certainly atmospheric, there's also a listless/passionless quality throughout. See, I love a good medieval fantasy epic. I liked Snow White's rousing battle speech near the end. As far as re-imaginings of faerie tales are concerned, this is one of the more inventive ones that I know of. I also enjoy a bleak tone (which this has). But with a better script and some tighter editing, 'Snow White & the Huntsman' would have flowed better & not felt as laborious as it sometimes did. It just shows you that even with everything lined-up (appealing cast, immersive visuals, tried-&-true story), a faulty script can nearly ruin it all.