“Snow White and the Huntsman” is the best Snow White film of the year. This is no small feat since it seems that every third film released since January has been based on the classic fairy tale. This incarnation delivers what has been advertised; a darker, grittier princess with a little blood on her knuckles. And Chris Hemsworth. The Australian heartthrob is contractually obligated to be in every forth flick released in 2012. Finally, the Snow White film joins forces with the Chris Hemsworth movie to bring us the ultimate in White/Hemsworth entertainment. It is kinda like “The Avengers” in that respect (with a dash of “Mirror Mirror” meets “The Cabin in the Woods”).
The story begins rather standard:
Once upon a time Snow White (Kristen Stewart) was locked high up in the Northern Tower as the evil queen, Ravenna (Charlize Theron), devoured and destroyed her kingdom. The mirror on the wall tells the dread queen that eating the heart of the fairest shall gain her immortality. After some awkward touching from the queen’s ever-pasty brother, Finn (Sam Spruell), Snow escapes to the nearby Dark Forest. That’s when things get a little heavier than usual.
The twisted vines and lurking shadows of the Forest play as a waking nightmare as Snow tries to make her way out alive. Ravenna’s magic does not work in the Forest so she sends a Huntsman (Hemsworth) to retrieve the innocent princess. Of course the Huntsman cannot carve up little Snow and the two join forces to regain the land. There is a touch a romance in the air that is complicated when William (Sam Claflin), a childhood friend of Snow’s, arrives to complete the required love triangle that apparently has to be integral to all Kristen Stewart films. I guess if I have to choose, I’m “Team Huntsman” all the way. I’ll probably even get the shirt.
“Snow White in the Huntsman” retells the tale by setting the action in a realistic, lived-in world. The costumes looked well worn; the props do not resemble props. This is the film’s greatest accomplishment and allows for the slightest comparison to the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy when it comes to visual aesthetics. Once Snow meets the 7 dwarves, she is taken to a whimsical part of the kingdom where fairies live along side the forest animals. The sequence is pure fantasy and delivers a sense of wonder that has been missing from the modern day fairy tale film.
Stewart is serviceable as White and does her best selling her damsel with a sword. She gets the anger but doesn’t charm. Hemsworth pulls out a little Scottish brogue and plays the strapping hero like a seasoned pro. The accent is probably there to help differentiate between the Huntsman and his Thor. Fierce and full of fire, Charlize Theron owns the film with her wicked monarch. This queen is a deeply damaged woman who spouts her lines with near constant tears welling in her eyes. Theron tends to scream and yell a bit much but the performance is consistently gripping.
It’s hard for me not to criticize Hollywood’s need to repeat and reimagine and here, with Snow White, they’ve gone at it from a couple angles. With the recent announcement that Guillermo Del Toro will direct a new “Beauty and the Beast” and Angelina Jolie taking her turn being evil with “Maleficent” it looks as if the trend will keep going strong. To complain only makes the argument as repetitive as the problem. At least “Snow White and the Huntsmen” entertains by giving us something new along with the familiar.