Snow White and the Huntsman

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

** (out of 4)

2012 will be the year of Snow White as here comes the fourth version of the classic tale behind MIRROR MIRROR as well as two direct-to-DVD releases. This one here features Kristen Stewart playing Snow White who gets thrown from her kingdom by the wicked Queen (Charlize Theron) who is in need of her youth. Soon a Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) is called upon to capture Snow White but when he understands what is going on he decides to join forces with her. SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN is a pretty looking film but there's really no meat on its bones and in the end we're left with a rather lifeless production that has some good stuff but in the end the film is just downright dull. There are quite a few problems with the picture but we can start with the casting. Stewart has proved herself to be a good actress and her work in stuff like THE RUNAWAYS have proved this but sadly she's miscast here. That dark, laid back approach works perfectly in TWILIGHT but here is just boring and it's quite obvious that this Snow White couldn't lead an ant colony let alone a kingdom. Not for a second did I believe Stewart in the role and the lack of a personality here really went against everything the character was. Theron isn't much better as the Queen. It's really hard to believe the type of performance she gives here because she goes so over-the-top that it reaches a level of where you just want to scream with how annoying the performance is. I'm not sure why Theron decided to scream so much but it really didn't do anything. Hemsworth is the one saving grace here and he actually delivers a good performance and makes much more of his role than what was on the pages. Sam Claflin isn't too bad as William but he shares no chemistry with Stewart. The CGI effects are actually pretty good here and especially the stuff dealing with the mirror as well as another scene where we see the Queen crawl out of some black tar. I also thought the scenery was quite great including the black forest and the beautiful green lands. The images here are much better than any bit of the story and that's a real shame. SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN is pretty to look at but sadly there's just no emotional connection to any of the characters. Worse of all is the fact that the film really drags in spots and for an action movie it's one of the most boring I've seen in a while.

'Snow White and the Huntsman' did have potential. The trailers looked decent, and Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth and all the actors playing the dwarfs have been responsible for great work in their careers.

However, although she has given good performances outside of 'Twilight', this reviewer doesn't care hugely for Kristen Stewart (though she is not a detractor either) and cares even less for the 'Twilight Saga'. So expectations prior to seeing the film, a live-action re-imagining of the classic fairy tale, were mixed.

Watching it finally at a film night with friends, 'Snow White and the Huntsman' wasn't as bad as feared and does have a good amount going for it, but it should have been much better than it was.

First and foremost, starting with the good assets, the best things about 'Snow White and the Huntsman' are the production values and Charlize Theron. The film is very beautiful to look at, with luscious but also atmospheric photography, Gothic but also elegant and rustic set and scenery design and lavish costumes (Ravenna's are a knockout). The special effects are mostly fine too. Ravenna is the one character that 'Snow White and the Huntsman' properly tries to develop (and it does so reasonably, but there are parts that could have been elaborated upon more), and Theron positively sinks her teeth into the character, giving a very enjoyably hammy (sometimes), sinister and also tragic interpretation.

James Newton Howard's score complements very well, it's beautifully orchestrated, rousing, elegiac, atmosphere-enhancing and very involving. Hemsworth is appropriately stone-faced and brooding as the Huntsman, displaying charisma and emotion. Sam Claflin does well too, though with an underwritten character.

Was mixed however on the dwarfs and Rupert Sanders' direction. The dwarfs are very enjoyably characterised, with all of them displaying much needed character, humour and charm, more so than their material deserved. Ian McShane is particularly noteworthy. However, they are written in a very glossed over and bland fashion, almost like they were written as an afterthought. The decision to scale down the actors may not work for some people, those who feel that casting real-life dwarfs would have fared better, personally enjoyed the performances but felt it would have been better if Warwick Davis played all of them. Sanders' direction exudes confidence visually, but in the chemistry between actors, direction of some of the actors and direction of the drama he seemed ill at ease.

The biggest problem with 'Snow White and the Huntsman' is Stewart (an opinion this reviewer well before reading the reviews for the film, so this is own opinion talking), she gives a very wooden, expressionless and one-note (constant surprise and "sucking on lemon"-like) performance that makes identifying and sympathising with Snow White incredibly difficult. A shame because her younger child counterpart was very believable. The story has moments (mainly with Theron), but flounders from a lack of chemistry in the pivotal relationship between Stewart and Hemsworth, a particularly dull middle act and stuff brought up but barely explored giving an incomplete and jumpy feel to the storytelling.

Action is episodic and lacking in tension and excitement generally, while the script clunks badly and the characters are bland with the exception of Ravenna. They do start trying to develop the Huntsman but the development is forgotten about once he becomes protector and lover.

Overall, looks great but fails to engage narratively. Not awful, not great, wildly uneven more like. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Based on the popular fairytale ''Snow White'' comes the originally titled ''Snow White....and The Huntsman'' ,an epic fantasy film starring teen favourites Kristen Stewart (of Twilight fame) and Chris Hemsworth (of Thor/Avengers fame). Now, detailing the plot shouldn't be too hard, as we all know the story from childhood- Evil Queen (Charlize Theron) with talking mirror is hell-bent on killing her 'pure' step-daughter (Stewart) and hires a Huntsman (Hemsworth) to do the job for her. The Huntsman takes pity on the girl when he finds her, and together they become fugitives, going on a journey that involves meeting Dwarfs. Seven of them to be precise. What follows is a major battle between good and evil to determine who will reign over the Kingdom, the evil Queen or our heroine Snow White?

Now, I enjoyed this film a lot more than I thought I would, it reminded me a lot of Lord of The Rings, from the grand music to the mountain scenery, and it does feature a few spectacular fight scenes. Visually, this is an impressive film, however, the film focuses too much on visuals and not enough on characters, the Dwarfs are glossed over and never really given any time to engage with the audience, which is a shame, as the group contains excellent actors (Ray Winstone and Bob Hoskins, amongst others ). Kristen Stewart as Snow White seems to think she's still playing Bella from Twilight, (i.e no range of emotions, just a blank stare for the whole film), especially when opposite to her is Charlize Theron giving an amazingly dramatic performance as the Queen. To sum up, a good re-telling of a classic, but by no means as good as the Disney Classic which most of us remember.

7/10

The movie is good (not great, though), specially because of the visual effects and Charlize Theron acting. She is great, beautiful, impressive, plays her role full of passion, as usual. Also I think there was no need for a 127 minutes picture. It could last less time, because in some moments I felt like they were just dragging it for no reason. I expected more, but all the problem is with Snow White choice. Kristen Stewart is like my refrigerator, no matter what I put in it (milk, soda, eggs, vegetables, meat), it is and it will always be a refrigerator. And so is she. She is always the same, no matter what role she is playing. If she can be an actress, so can my refrigerator. They are both cold and have no expression.

This is the second Snow White adaptation released this year except this one is designed as an action, adventure. Both are not quite outstanding but they gave some interesting twists to the story. Unfortunately, there is something gold about this but it cares too much to the visuals than anything else. There are also scenes that are taken from other fantasy, epic movies. It's good looking, but good looking is not always enough.

The twist is pretty interesting. The Evil Queen's tragic past, more significance to The Huntsman, turning Snow White into a gritty protagonist. Though the dwarfs are the same in Tarsem Singh's version. These elements could have made this a memorable and fresh adaptation, but they just threw these things to the film lazily. The plotting is mediocre which made the second act a bit boring. The action is nothing but looking good. It looks fascinating but you'll rarely see a real fight.

You already know what Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth will do but the audiences are more interested to Charlize Theron's performance. She sort of hammed it up when in rage but she does it pretty well in the rest. Another attraction to this is the visuals. Like I said, it's too pretty. It's never wrong for the visuals to be pretty especially to a film called Snow White. It's too pretty, they already careless about the plot. Decided to choose the generic way. Heroes meeting new friends, settle down, fight, settle down. Just waiting for the climax to come without any much development.

I'm starting to think when I first saw it, it's like Ridley Scott's Robin Hood. It's an old tale with a charismatic protagonist turned into a gritty one, but this one is a bit different. It refuses to be gritty and wants to be pretty and generic. The real action is few, the effect of drama is limited. The visuals can be spellbinding but anything else is just empty. There is a good story in the film but it's told in a generic way with a generic plot and filled with stuff that is borrowed from other films. One might enjoy it by its looks but if you care for more than that then it will be unsatisfying. Snow White and the Huntsman can be part of those clichéd modern fantasy movies like Clash of the Titans, Conan The Barbarian, and Immortals. But at least this film is the best of its kind. It's not bad nor good. It's just a waste of potential of a new good film.