Film Review: Snow White and the Huntsman

About the film

Snow White and the Huntsman is an action/ fantasy film that is based on the story of Snow White by the Brothers Grimm. The film was released at cinemas on 30th May and is rated 12A due to scenes of a violent nature. The film has a run time of 127 minutes.

Plot

As a child, Snow White’s mother always told her that she and her beauty was pure and one day it could save her. When her mother dies, Snow White’s father, the King is inconsolable until he meets Ravenna. Ravenna, disguised as a hostage, captures the King’s heart with her beauty and only the next day they get married. Ravenna is actually a powerful witch and has conquered several of kingdoms and plans to take over the entire continent. She soon learns from her Magic Mirror that she will be overthrown by her stepdaughter Snow White, who will also surpass her as the "Fairest of Them All." After killing the King, Ravenna imprisons Snow White in the tower, never to be thought of again.

Years later, Snow White finally manages to escape the tower and into to Dark Forest. Queen Ravenna summons Eric, a Huntsman to track down Snow White and bring her back so that she can consume her heart. Instead, Snow White manages to talk Eric into taking her to see a long lost old friend in an attempt to bring down the Queen. With the help of a set of dwarves, Snow White begins to plot how to get rid of Ravenna once and for all. 

What I thought

When I first heard about this film, I was in two minds about whether or not I wanted to see it. While I loved the idea of a retelling and that Charlize Theron would play the step-mother, I HATE Kristen Stewart and her alone put me off. However, I bit the bullet and went to see it anyway.

Snow White and the Huntsman puts a fresh and exciting twist on a very classic fairy tale. The opening of the film, showing Snow White with her mother before she dies paints a very romantic picture of family and what they mean to each other. However brief it may have been, the relationship between Snow White and her mother was very special and touching to watch. There is also the sweet relationship between Snow White and her childhood friend William to discover. This is where the niceties stop though.

After her mother’s death, Snow White’s father, the King remarries the evil and devious Ravenna. It soon becomes clear that Ravenna is a witch and has been around for a very long time. Charlize Theron is one of my favourite actresses and I was so happy to see her in this role. Theron has the ability to play any role, both nice and bad and this film really shows her acting ability. As Ravenna, Theron is seriously evil and scary. She’s mean, selfish and only does things that will benefit herself, no matter the outcome to others. For me, Theron was the perfect evil witch and she was just completely outstanding in this role.

What I fail to believe is that Kristen Stewart is more beautiful and fair than Charlize Theron. The whole point of this fairy tale is that Snow White is extremely beautiful and I just don’t believe this to be true, especially next to Theron. To me, Stewart is quite plain looking and nothing special as an actress so I think that this role could have been cast differently and it would have been better in general. However, even though before this film I hated Stewart, I didn’t completely hate her this time around. As Bella Swan, she bugs me to death and I find her wooden and boring. As Snow White, she shows a little more promise. Stewart gives the character courage and strength, showing Snow White to not be a timid little girl waiting for someone to come and rescue her. She can do that all on her own. The problem with this character is that she doesn’t really say much. That actually wasn’t a problem for me though as I thought it made Stewart a better actress.

Playing the Huntsman is Thor actor, Chris Hemsworth. As a big, strong butch looking man, Hemsworth was a great choice for the role although not the first choice apparently. The Huntsman was a very troubled character with no idea who Snow White actually was for the majority of the film which clouded her in a sense of mystery. Although playing a strong character, Hemsworth gave the character a softer, sensitive side which made him more likeable overall. As characters go, the Huntsman is the one whose past we get to see the most into. Other characters in this film don’t have too much development but luckily, this one does.

The dwarves were by far my favourite thing about this film. Instead of having cute names, these dwarves are drunkards who trap people in the middle of nowhere. Once we start to get to know the dwarves though, it is clear to see that there is much more to them than meets the eye. The leader of the dwarves, Muir, knows exactly who Snow White is and believes that she has something special within her. Once the other dwarves believe the same thing, they see Snow White in a different light and are filled with hope. The dwarves as a whole are a funny set of characters each with their own distinct personalities.

Snow White and the Huntsman is an action packed film which is very different from any other version of this story that I have ever seen or read. This film has a little something for everyone with the action, hot men, beautiful women and a bit of romance thrown in too. I really enjoyed this film a hell of a lot more than I was expecting to and I’m quite surprised to say it but it was partly because I didn’t hate Kristen Stewart.