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.
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