Movie Review: Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

For a film that so desperately wants to be Tolkien-esque, it’s a questionable choice to saddle it with the Snow White and Kristen Stewart moniker. There is a certain stigma attached to the young actress, not just limited to her skills or her appearance, but more pressing in relation to the conflict between her presence and the requirements of a competent action adventure. Moments of creativity seep into the film in the form of special effects, atmospheric set pieces and macabre interpretations of the classic fairy tale, but for all the unique additions to the celebrated story, too many instances of overly dramatic nonsense and ideas lavishly borrowed from superiors. . the basics of fantasy bury the impulse of her.

Although hurt by the birth of his beautiful daughter, Snow White (Kristen Stewart), King Magnus (Noah Huntley) despairs when his queen dies soon after. Seeing an opportunity to usurp the throne, the evil sorceress Ravenna (Charlize Theron) seduces the king and murders him. Declaring herself the new queen, she watches with satisfaction as Snow White languishes in a prison tower and the once bustling kingdom crumbles under her tyrannical rule. When Ravenna’s magic mirror informs her that she can gain immortality by killing the king’s daughter, she attempts to do just that, but Snow White escapes her and hides in the treacherous kingdom of the Dark Forest. While there, she joins forces with eight dwarf warriors, hers a childhood friend of hers William (Sam Claflin) and the very hunter sent to kill her (Chris Hemsworth) to plan an attack and reclaim the throne from the wicked witch

The strong approach of seriousness to the usually whimsical fairy tale is, ironically, the film’s downfall. In overly melodramatic, gutsy-and-glory, action-oriented fashion, Snow White and the Huntsman exhaustively tries to be impressive, resulting in accidental humor, generic dialogue, and unconvincing chivalry. It opens with a narration from the Hunter (awkwardly never given a formal name, strange considering the evil queen is specifically named) that apparently follows the original Grimm version. However, ten minutes later, he veers off into a tale of epic battles and ghoulish sorcery. This might be the only adaptation where the magic mirror oozes from a metallic gong into a liquid-covered wraith. And in what opposite and absurd universe is Kristen Stewart more beautiful than Charlize Theron?

“Magic comes at a high price,” muses Finn (Sam Spruell), the queen’s brother and another non-essential addition. The spell attack shares the screen with sinister make-up, lavish costume designs and intricate special effects, including the casting of distinguished British actors for the dwarf roles. That’s perhaps the only laudable aspect (and an expensive trick); each part of the plot strives to mimic larger franchises and projects, most notably The Lord of the Rings, Willow, Conan, and Robin Hood. Theron is sensational for his brief introduction, but it quickly turns into a deluge when he substitutes a wince-worthy rant for believable ferocity. The silly fantasy also quickly overcomes the emotions with the worst offender being the intensified music and a rousing (à la Braveheart) speech from White, clad in chain mail and wielding a sword, eliciting nervous laughter. At least the movie has an angle, though that particular slant was similarly executed in 1997 (with the triple Emmy-nominated TV movie Snow White: A Tale of Terror).

– The Massie Twins (GoneWithTheTwins.com)