Film Review: Snow White and the Huntsman

Cinema: Snow White and the Huntsman   5/10
Director: Rupert Sanders
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron
Plot: a darker take on the classic fairytale sees a Huntsman end up protecting Snow White after being ordered to kill her, leading to a quest to destroy the evil Queen Ravenna.

Over the years there have been numerous takes on the Snow White tale, many of which have failed to surpass the quality and magic Disney first created with the 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. 2012 seems to have been the year for Snow White; several TV films have been created along with April’s Mirror Mirror, which was a rather forgettable and meaningless take on the classic tale. Snow White and the Huntsman, a film I have anticipated for months, never quite succeeds in reaching its aims either.

Firstly, Kristen Stewart as Snow White is a controversial and risky choice to have made, which sadly, doesn’t pull off in the end. Stewart’s British accent is too over-the-top and many of her facial expressions remind myself of her Twilight character Bella Swan. The poor take on Snow White produces no originality in the character, leaving the original Disney animation to succeed in this area. Chris Hemsworth is also slightly tedious; his role as the Huntsman and the character doesn’t seem to be any different to that of his superhero role as Thor, once again sparking little if no interest in the character at all. Charlize Theron, as the Evil Queen is the star of the entire show; her acting abilities shine through and she ends up becoming a chilling ‘woman’ with no human attributes at all, becoming perhaps the best villain to have appeared in any Snow White adaptation.

The films script seems to have the wrong focus, spending large amounts of time with Snow White and the Huntsman arguing whilst the key aspects of the original tale such as the poisoned apple are skimmed through without little meaning. The eight dwarfs, funnily enough, could easily have been cut from the film entirely, proving to be completely useless and try too hard to become loveable, funny characters which in the end, comes across as desperate.

Where the film succeeds however is in its visual effects. The large set pieces of the Queen’s castle seem completely real and come across as colossal even in the 2D format. The creatures too are animated perfectly; the little pixies, butterflies and fantasy animals are enchanting, something which Sanders as a director succeeds in doing, creating a world audience wish to explore.

In Conclusion : despite anticipating the film for a long time, its script comes across as  bland as well as its two titled characters. Charlize Theron presents a stunning performance as the Evil Queen and should receive notable awards for doing so. The films visual splendour and battle scenes are all executed beautifully yet in the end, the films ending screams sequel alert, yet I’m struggling to see where this tale could go.