Revisionist fairy tales are the newest fad to hit Hollywood,
especially since Disney made over a billion dollars with Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. The House of Mouse
is also developing, Maleficent, a new
take on Sleeping Beauty from the
perspective of the evil sorceress with Angelina Jolie in the title role. At the
same time, they postponed production on The
Order of the Seven, which would have seen Saoirse Ronan as a version of Snow
White under the protection of seven martial arts masters. An escalating budget
and the fact that two other studios beat Disney to the punch were factors in
its derailment. Relativity Media took the lighthearted, kid-friendly route with
Mirror Mirror while Universal went
darker with Snow White and the Huntsman.
Once upon a time, King Magnus (Noah Huntley) reigned over
the land in peace though he was saddened by the death of his wife. That is,
until he rescued the beautiful Ravenna (Charlize Theron) from the clutches of a
Dark Army. Ravenna wastes no time in seducing then murdering the king, stealing
the throne, and locking the king's daughter, Snow White (Raffey Cassidy as a
child, Kristen Stewart as an adult) in the tower. Ravenna must steal the youth
of pretty girls to maintain her attractiveness. But, to stay forever young, she
must consume Snow White's heart when she comes of age.
Snow White eventually escapes into the Dark Forest (yes,
everything is dark in this movie) where no man dares to tread. Ravenna and her
obsequies brother, Finn (Sam Spruell), enlist the assistance of the Huntsman
(Chris Hemsworth), a scruffy bruiser prone to drink following the death of his
wife. The Huntsman reluctantly helps the Queen's henchmen track down Snow White
before joining forces with the princess as well as her childhood love Prince
William (Sam Clafin) and a band of dwarves led by the blind Muir (Bob Hoskins).
Snow White and the
Huntsman is clearly inspired by Lord
of the Rings and HBO's Game of
Thrones, setting the story in a grimy medieval world where knights in armor
clash on the battlefield. In his feature debut, commercial director Rupert
Sanders relies too much on herky jerky camera movements for his action
sequences. This quibble can be forgiven because the film is handsomely shot by
cinematographer Greig Fraser (David Cronenberg's Spider, Let Me In) with
James Newton Howard's score bringing the sturm und drang and a random Florence
& The Machine song to go over the end credits.
Twlight star
Kristen Stewart is once again caught in the middle of a love triangle between
the gruff Huntsman and the noble prince. While Stewart excels at being the
doe-eyed waif, she struggles during the picture's heavier moments. She just
doesn't have the gravitas (or a convincing English accent) needed when called
upon to deliver the climactic Braveheart/St.
Crispin's Day speech to inspire the masses. It's not entirely her fault as the
screenplay credited to Evan Daughtery, John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side), and Hossein Amini (Drive) fails to feed Stewart dialogue that could stir a cup of coffee,
let alone an army to rise against the oppressive regime. Never mind how a girl
locked in a tiny cell for half her life suddenly becomes Joan of Arc.
Chris Hemsworth trades his mystical uru hammer for an axe to
play the roguish romantic lead. Audiences will likely choose Team Huntsman over
Team William due to the Han Solo-esque charm Hemsworth adds to the character
over the blandness of the prince. This is no knock on Sam Clafin's acting
abilities, but a reflection on the script's thin characterization as well as a
lack of screen time. More time too could have been devoted to the dwarves, whom
Sanders cast as if he were casting a British gangster pic. Thus, we get incredible
thespians like Bob Hoskins, Ian McShane, Eddie Marsan, Toby Jones, Ray
Winstone, and Nick Frost along with the lesser known Johnny Harris and Brian
Gleeson, son of Brendan Gleeson. Movie magic turns them into a diminutive band
of highwaymen.
The most fascinating character in Snow White is the evil Queen Ravenna and Charlize Theron gets to
play it to the hilt. Theron is so good in the role that you'll actually be
rooting for the bad guy to win. This is a damaged woman transformed into a
man-hating succubus by a cruel patriarchal society that destroys innocence and
beauty. Ravenna has a strange incestuous relationship with her brother
reminiscent of Cersei and Jaime Lannister. The creepiness is amplified by Sam
Spruell's pageboy haircut, which makes him look like an albino Anton Chigurh.
Snow White and the
Huntsman is a surprisingly entertaining fantasy film. Yes, Kristen Stewart
is miscast as the lead and the screenplay is riddled with clichés of Snow White
being "the one." However, the visuals are stunning and Charlize
Theron is absolutely captivating as the villainous queen.
Rating: *** (*****)
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