Snow White and the Huntsman Review

Snow White and The Hunstman

Every single time I leave a cinema feeling disappointed, I ask myself the same thing: was it REALLY a bad movie? Or were my expectations raised so impeccably high that the end result could never have satisfied my thirst for that unforgettable cinematic experience?

Unfortunately, Snow White and the Hunstman is just the opposite. It's so forgettable, in fact, that two minutes after leaving the cinema, the little emotional investment I had felt in the characters was gone and the finer points of the story had vanished from my mind. 

That's not at all to say that Snow White is a bad film. Writer Evan Daugherty does a sterling, if completely muddled job of bringing a classic children's fairytale into a cinematic age where nothing less than epic is expected, and director Rupert Sanders creates some simply stunning shots and set pieces that could rival The Lord of the Rings.

Following the death of the king, the White Queen (played with relish by Charlize Theron) takes over the kingdom and, fearing her beauty may be surpassed by that of Snow White's, locks her away in a tower to live out the rest of her days as a prisoner. Fifteen years later, Snow White (Kristen Stewart) escapes both the Queen and the Hunstman (Chris Hemsworth) ordered to track her down. Discovering that she is the "One who will end the darkness", she then persuades the Hunstman to aid her and her childhood friend William in taking down the Queen and restoring peace to the kingdom. 

The story is a good adaptation of a well known fairytale, however it's abundantly clear that the plot was being concocted as the script went along. There is unnecessary dialogue littered everywhere, most notably with the dwarves. The romantic aspects of the story, which at first seem to be tailored between Snow White and William, become confusing when it is revealed that the Hunstman loves Snow White also. The running time doesn't help either: with just over two hours under its belt, Snow White and the Huntsman is noticeably a long, tangled slog.

Kristen Stewart brings Snow White to life

On the flipside however, Kristen Stewart (finally) proves herself capable of being taken seriously as a Hollywood star, displaying more emotion and genuine character growth than we've seen in any of her previous big screen flicks. While unfortunately slightly underwritten, Stewart's Snow White is a compelling protagonist for the movie. Chris Hemsworth gives the titular Hunstman (real name "Eric" - how very epic indeed) something of an Aragorn tribute act, playing the damaged hero with a tragic past. Charlize Theron, however, had me squirming in my seat with the sheer over the top nature of her performance as the White Queen. I would have preferred a silently menacing, classically evil Disney villain (ala Maleficent), rather than what is essentially a woman with confidence issues and who needs a therapist.

The Hunstman deserves his own prequel

What should the producers do to rectify this cluttered mishap? Give the Hunstman his own movie. During Snow White, the Hunstman gives us some tantalising dialogue about his past that could easily be a plot summary for his own prequel of some kind. Given Chris Hemsworth's recent catapult to superstar status thanks to his role as Thor in The Avengers, I would wager that Universal wouldn't lose any sleep giving him his own solo outing.

Overall, Snow White and the Hunstman is alright. And that's it. There was an opportunity to create a truly dark, truly epic story here. Unfortunately, with the unnecessarily long running time, the muddled, often boring plot and the focus on side characters who we really don't care about, Snow White and the Hunstman wastes that opportunity and throws it away like a rotten apple.

 Dean Johnstone

Email me: dean.james.johnstone@hotmail.com

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