Movie Review Snow White and the Huntsman

Before seeing Snow White and the Huntsman, forget anything and everything you thought you knew based on the Disney film. The virginal, clean Snow White and her jolly band of elves are gone. This is not Walt Disney’s Snow White. Hell, it’s not even the Grimm Brother’s Snow White or even Once Upon a Time’s Snow.

This is Snow White: Warrior Princess. This is Snow White as an action hero. This Snow White kicks ass. The story starts off the usual way with young Snow White (Raffey Cassidy) losing her mother (Liberty Ross) and her father taking a new wife (The Evil Queen/Stepmother) (played by Charlize Theron). She banishes Snow (now played by Kristen Stewart) to a prison tower and she and her creepy brother (Sam Spruell) run the kingdom into the ground.

The Queen, however, is as vain as she is ambitious, and her ruthless quest to stay youthful has her sucking the youth out of young women and the hearts out of others. When her Mirror tells her that to attain immortality and eternal youth she must eat the heart of ‘the fairest of them all’ … and that would be Snow White.

When Snow gets her chance, she breaks out of her prison and the Queen hires a Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to find her. Later in the search, he is joined by Snow’s childhood friend Prince William (Sam Claflin). Of course, they eventually run into the decidedly unmerry group of dwarfs (including Bob Hoskins, Ray Winstone and Ian McShane).

I don’t mind a ‘reinvention’ of an old tale and this is definitely that. Snow White may be the heroine but this is an action movie. With barely a hint of romance (which I kind of missed). However, they do take the time to set up a raggedy love triangle and, frustratingly, left it unresolved at the end.

Charlize was over-the-top, but in this case, the role calls for it. She was dripping with evil as the Queen. I’ve never seen any of the Twilight movies but Kirsten Stewart was good enough. I just wish they would have invested as much in feeling as they did special effects. When it came to the Dark Forest and The Enchanted Forest the effects were outstanding. If this movie is up for any award it will be for make-up (the Queen) or Special Effects (for both forests).

The action was hot and heavy too. Lots of visually stunning fighting, swordplay and battle sequences.

Yet, I found myself yearning for more of a connection with these characters. Yet, maybe you aren’t like me and would welcome a Snow White with no mushy stuff. In that case, you’ll really enjoy Snow White and the Huntsman.