Movie Review

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Destiny v. Predictability

By: VintageVixen

Published: June 2, 2012

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Fairytales. We all have grown up reading them in storybooks, watching them as animated adaptations, or dreaming that, we too, could be apart of such a magical world. Director Rupert Sanders takes the classic tale of Snow White and transforms it into an epic adventure filled with Dark Forests, glass henchmen, and true love's kiss. This film definitely leans toward a Grimm-like perspective of fairytales. There are no ball gowns, singing animals, or traditional "happy endings".

It is a coming-of-age story of the princess Snow White (Kristen Stewart) who must battle for her life and her people against the "Evil Queen" Ravenna (Charlize Theron). Whether Ravenna is evil can be debatable...after all, she is functioning from a scarred childhood...excusable? It is by the sympathy of the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) that Snow White is able to truly begin her journey of self-discovery.

In my opinion, the movie moved extremely too slow. I thought that there could have been a little...more...of what exactly? I'm not sure, but I left the theater feeling like I could have used more from the story. I did think that the script was inventive, however, I felt as though the dialogue foreshadowed/explained the story a little too much. I think that the beauty of film is that it shows instead of tells. I wish that there had been more visual explanation for the characters' actions opposed to verbal explanation.

The editing of the film was pretty continual at the beginning, but eventually it became too obvious. The scenes of Snow White and then of Ravenna felt awkward and uneven. There would be a 5 or 10 minute scene of Snow White, and then the film would cut to Ravenna in her castle for all of 30 seconds to a few minutes. I remember the scenes of Ravenna most vividly. I think they were the most powerful shots of the entire film. I think that it would have been more effective if there was a balance between the alternating scenes.

I think the set design was well done...some of the special effects and CGI (computer-generated imagery) were not "realistic" enough. It was almost a distinctive difference between the magic and non-magic. It should have appeared as if the worlds blended, but you could clearly tell the difference between the two when watching the film.

I enjoyed the story line, but I was hoping for a little surprise. There was running and there was chasing...running, and more chasing...I just felt as if it became more and more predictable. I know it was Snow White's destiny to bring light to the darkness, but it would have been nice to not be sure if she'd actually be able to do it...to keep us guessing of the outcome...of how she would actually succeed.

What makes me want to recommend this film as a "must see" is the amazing acting. Charlize Theron was breathtaking and created a character that was real and raw and human. Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth were just as amazing at bringing their characters to life. Be advised that the movie is rated PG-13. There is no uncomfortable nude scenes, but the fight scenes are enough to recommend an audience of persons 13 and older.

If you go see it, comment and let me know what you think. Do you agree or disagree with any of my thoughts? Was it worth your time or money?

It's okay to voice YOUR opinion! :)

Love,

Gem