Snow White And The Huntsman Review

A beautiful princess – as white as Snow, with lips as red as blood – has a step-mother who is after her life. Everyone knows the story of the damsel in distress, Snow White. After Mirror Mirror, the comical version of Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs, the popular fairy tale has found yet another taker; only, this time it is much more darker, sinister and very little fairy tale-like. Read the review of Snow White And The Huntsman, to get a scoop on the movie.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars (Two-and-a-half stars)

Star cast: Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, Ian Mcshane and Ray Winstone.

What’s Good: A visual treat; superb acting, especially Charlize Theron; the ambitious take on the good-old story.

What’s Bad: The lack of the fairy tale elements due to the darkness of the script; Kristen Stewart still needs to get out of her Twilight zone; the slow pace of the film.

Verdict: Snow White And The Huntsman is nowhere close to being a fairy tale, but if you watch it without the fairy tale context to it, it is sufficiently dark and menacing.

Loo Break: A couple.

Watch or Not?: If you like the sugary-sweet version of the fairy tale, you might not want to watch this one. But for those who are in for a little twist to the tale, this one can prove to be worthwhile.

Snow White (Kristen Stewart) is orphaned early after the death of her father by the hands of her step-mother. Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron), the dark witch who devours all the beauty in the world and destroys one kingdom after another, spells doom on Snow White’s kingdom as well. Snow White is made a prisoner in her own castle and the queen indulges in sucking out the youth and beauty from all the beautiful girls and the strength from the hearts of boys.

“Mirror Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all…” One day, the Queen asks the mirror this same old question; only this time, the answer is not the “Queen”, but “Snow White”. Shocked, scared and outraged, she orders her brother Finn, (Sam Spruell, more like her side-kick), to bring Snow White to her instantly. But Snow White escapes, followed by a wild goose chase to capture her. The only person who can catch her is the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) but even he starts showing his loyalty to Snow White. Will Snow White get rid of the darkness? Will she defeat the Queen? Will the kingdom rejoice again? You know the answers to these questions, yet, watch the movie to see how it all happens; it is indeed a visual treat.

Snow White And The Huntsman Review: Star Cast & Direction

Charlize Theron is simply mind-blowing as Queen Ravenna. She is theatrical, dramatic, menacing and has given a brilliantly convincing performance. Kristen Stewart as Snow White looks much better this time than her pale-self in the Twilight series; yet she still lacks a number of expressions. The rest of the cast is really just alright as they barely have much to do. Chris Hemsworth looks like the Huntsman alright, but his drunken avatar should’ve been cut short.

Director Rupert Sanders has beautifully presented Screenwriter Evan Daugherty’s imagination on-screen. The casting is perfect, the background music creates the dark mood aptly and the beautiful scenes simply take you to a different land altogether. But, it somehow feels like this film violates the original Snow White and Seven Dwarfs’ Story. It also looks like a mix of Rapunzel, Snow White, Cinderella, and even has a King Kong moment in it. In order to create the darkness and the creepy feeling, the film moves at a very slow pace. The length of the film is another issue. Also, some scenes and the ending could’ve been much more impactful and dramatic.

Snow White And The Huntsman Review:Technical Aspects

Despite all the problems and glitches, and the fact that the movie leaves sort of an unpleasant taste due to its darkness, if we take aside the fairy tale-inspiration-part, this one has the potential to be a really brilliant piece of work. Right from the Golden mirror melting into a man, to the Queen scattering into ravens, the beautiful CGI will leave you spellbound. The beautiful imaginative fairies’ land and the dark, ugly world of Queen Ravenna create a great contrast.

With brilliant direction, good acting and a combination of good-old story and a fresh take, makes this one a watchable affair but it definitely could’ve been much more than just that.

Snow White And The Huntsman Review: The Last Word

Overall, if you are looking for a beautiful fairy tale adaptation, this one is definitely not for you and don’t take your children for it. But, if you don’t mind some action, dark magic and some ominous twists to the original tale, Snow White And The Huntsman will prove to be a treat.

Snow White And The Huntsman Trailer

Snow White And The Huntsman releases in India on 1 June 2012.