Snow White and the Huntsman Review

Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Violence and Action, and Brief Sensuality)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 7 Minutes

Cast-

Kristen Stewart-Snow White

Charlize Theron-Queen Ravenna

Chris Hemsworth-Eric the Huntsman

Sam Claflin-Prince William

Sam Spruell-Finn

Ian McShane-Beith

Bob Hoskins-Muir

Ray Winstone-Gort

Nick Frost-Nion

Eddie Marsan-Duir

Toby Jones-Coll

Johnny Harris-Quert

Brian Gleeson-Gus

Vincent Regan-Duke Hammond

Noah Huntley-King Magnus

Liberty Ross-Snow White's Mother

Christopher Obi (voice)-Magic Mirror

Directed by Rupert Sanders

Hey, you're not in "Thor" anymore!

As I sat waiting for the advanced screening for “Snow White and the Huntsman” to begin, I overheard a humorous conversation among a group of friends sitting in the row in front of me. A young woman in the group found it strange that her male friends helped themselves to the free posters of the film that were being given away outside the theater, prompting one of them to respond that it balances out because there were two attractive women on the poster. I silently chuckled at this since the classic Snow White fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm has always appealed more to girls rather than boys, although I admit to enjoying the 1937 animated film from Walt Disney as a child and still do even though I’m a full-grown man. For the record, I did take a poster as well since everyone took one and I didn’t want to leave the theater empty-handed. Snow White the character has been experiencing something of a resurgence lately with Tarsem Singh’s “Mirror Mirror” released earlier this year in March and now we have “Snow White and the Huntsman” from first-time director Rupert Sanders, whose previous work has mainly been in the realm of commercials, including a few Xbox 360 games such as “Halo 3” and its spin-off, “Halo 3: ODST.” “Snow White and the Huntsman” makes for a rousing action-adventure thanks to its darker, edgier tone and Sanders’ great eye for visuals but the film suffers from an overlong running time and never utilizes its characters to its full potential. 

Set against the backdrop of a gothic medieval kingdom, a young queen (Liberty Ross) accidentally pricks her finger on a rose, prompting her to wish for a daughter with skin white as snow while three drops of blood fall to the ground. Her wish is granted when she becomes pregnant and gives birth to a baby girl, whom she names Snow White. However, the queen soon grows sick and passes away when Snow is still just a little girl, leaving her husband, King Magnus (Noah Huntley), in grief. The kingdom is later besieged by a dark enemy but Magnus and his forces defeat them with ease. He rescues a prisoner, a woman named Ravenna (Charlize Theron) and is immediately taken by her beauty, marrying and crowning her the new queen but she fatally stabs him on their wedding night. Ravenna then takes control of the throne with the help of her army and sniveling brother Finn (Sam Spruell). Snow White is subsequently kept as a prisoner in her own castle, locked away in the highest tower for many years while the kingdom and its people suffer. Obsessed with sustaining her youth, Ravenna consults with a golden magic mirror (voice of Christopher Obi) and asks how she can achieve immortality. The mirror tells her that she must consume Snow’s heart but a now-grown up Snow White (Kristen Stewart) seizes the opportunity to escape and flees into the Dark Forest. Since she has no power over the Forest, Ravenna orders a drunken huntsman named Eric (Chris Hemsworth) to find her, promising him that she will bring his wife back from the dead if he succeeds. Eric manages to locate Snow but she begs him for help, which he reluctantly agrees when he is convinced that Ravenna plans to kill her. Snow White must now gather a group of unlikely of allies (including several dwarves) and take back the kingdom that is rightfully hers. 

“Snow White and the Huntsman” is one gorgeous-looking film thanks to its beautiful cinematography work and impeccable production design. Making his directorial debut is Rupert Sanders, who skillfully mixes imaginatively grotesque visuals with a whimsical fairy tale-like charm in a manner similar to Guillermo del Toro. An encounter with a monstrous troll even recalls the Faun from del Toro’s “Pan's Labyrinth,” released back in 2006. From black-armored beings that shatter into a thousand sharp pieces of glass to a magic mirror that morphs into a liquid entity like the T-1000 from “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” every penny of its $170 million production budget is clearly evident on-screen. The costumes from Colleen Atwood (whose previous credits include 2005’s “Memoirs of a Geisha,” 2010’s “Alice in Wonderland,” and this month’s “Dark Shadows”), especially the ones worn by Charlize Theron, are all exquisitely designed but her raven-feathered cloak is definitely the most striking. Befitting her namesake, Ravenna even transforms into a flock of ravens to make a quick escape during the famous poisoned apple scene but while having all this visual splendor is nice, it is the story that counts in the end. This is where the film sadly falters as it fails to fully utilize its many characters to their full potential and suffers from meandering pace in the middle due to an overlong running time. “Snow White and the Huntsman” takes its inspiration from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” especially from the first book as the characters spend much of the film traveling through various locales from the aforementioned Dark Forest to a heavenly garden inhabited by fairies. The problem is that not much happens during their journey other than a few action scenes and at times, Sanders seems more interested in throwing another fancy CG effect rather than focus on his characters. The love triangle between Snow White, Eric the Huntsman, and Prince William (Sam Claflin) is virtually non-existent since there’s a lack of sexual tension between the first two while the third barely registers as a blip. Eric has a great scene where he professes his love to Snow White as she sleeps in a trance-like state but it rings hollow because the romance is underdeveloped. 

There’s an interesting dichotomy at work here, with Ravenna despising men yet obsessed with maintaining her beauty as she feels it is the only true power she wields while Snow White runs through a lot of grimy muck with nary a thought to her appearance but writers Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock, and Hossein Amini never explore this theme to its full potential. The dwarves themselves, played by a number of distinguished British actors, also end up underutilized. The action and battle scenes take a page out of Peter Jackson and are well-executed but Sanders uses quick cuts (and the occasional slow motion) to keep the rating PG-13. When compared with Singh’s “Mirror Mirror,” “Snow White and the Huntsman” is clearly the superior film, going farther with its darker, revisionist tone and while the film suffers from its fair share of problems, the blame lies less with Sanders’ skills and more with his lack of experience. 

When Kristen Stewart was cast as the titular Snow White, I was initially skeptical as she wasn’t what I pictured in my mind. Thankfully, she proves to be an inspired choice and makes for a fiercer, more determined Snow White that is eager to kick some evil queen butt compared to the original Brothers Grimm version, which I always found to be akin to a chauvinistic male fantasy. Her performance won’t go down as one of her best but it is certainly leagues better than the mopey expressions she gives in the “Twilight” films. However, it is Charlize Theron who leaves a memorable impression as the evil queen Ravenna, diving into her role with aplomb and frequently chewing the scenery. Theron is over-the-top for sure but her performance is just so gleefully enjoyable. Chris Hemsworth captures the rugged quality of the Huntsman while adding a layer depth as a recent widow but he never feels as central to the plot as the previews made him out to be despite his name being in the title. Sam Claflin seems to have been cast more for his looks as Prince William and barely shares any screen-time with Stewart and the dwarves do not appear until late the film. Played by a number of well-known British actors including Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Toby Jones, Eddie Marsan, Ray Winstone, and Nick Frost, the dwarves were brought to life through post-production work and body doubles. They bring some much needed comic relief and should’ve had more screen-time. 

“Snow White and the Huntsman” will be released on June 1, 2012 and has received a mixed reception so far with 57% on Rotten Tomatoes. It will probably level out around 60% to 70%. Universal Pictures has a lot riding on this film after “Battleship” flopped at the domestic box office (and is only breaking even thanks to international grosses being factored in) but I don’t believe it’ll be the big hit the studio is hoping for since none of the cast are well-known for bringing in audiences outside of their respective franchises such as “Twilight” and “Thor.” Audience reaction was also somewhat muted with scattered applause but the film should handily top the box office this weekend with ease. Visually imaginative, “Snow White and the Huntsman” could’ve benefitted from a tighter pace and better utilization of its characters but this darker rendition is still worth a look for those who grew up with the fairy tale.

Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5

“I will be your weapon! Who will ride with me?! Who will be my brother?!” 

Note: While both "Mirror Mirror" and "Snow White and the Huntsman" share the same score, the latter is definitely the superior film.