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Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth
Snow White and the Huntsman is the second Snow White adaptation in movie theaters in 2012, and where Mirror Mirror was a comical, pretty movie with peacock-inspired costumes and a lot of prettiness, this second is dark and stylized, kind of cold and vengeful. Julia Roberts as the wicked queen in Mirror Mirror is shallow and vain; Charlize Theron as the same character in Snow White and the Huntsman is much worthier of the wicked brand, playing the beautiful stepmother with a poisonous hate for men and for the way they treat women. It’s easy to laugh at the Roberts character, but the Theron character is downright scary, and when she gets angry enough to raise her voice, you’re sure she’s going to behead someone, possibly even you, and suck your brain out through your eye socket.
As the title character, Kristen Stewart is a lean, tough, almost gritty character. I’ve never thought too much of her as an actress, but she’s mostly okay in this movie, and not a lot is really expected of her. I appreciated the queen’s mirror’s little twist on the tale, explaining to the queen that it’s fairness of blood, not fairness of appearance, that will be the queen’s undoing. Stewart is pretty, but she’s pretty in a normal way, choosing instead to let the strength of her character and the stubbornness of her will take the lead.
Chris Hemsworth is the huntsman, convinced by the queen to retrieve Snow from the Dark Forest, into which the queen’s powers do not reach. The huntsman knows the forest and has survived it where few have, presumably because the darkness in his heart after his wife’s death has made him comfortable there. He changes his allegiance when he discovers who Snow is.
The dwarfs are tough, smart little people, dangerous themselves but sworn to serve Snow. When they lead Snow and the huntsman into the sanctuary of the faeries, the actions of the faerie queen (or the spirit of the forest, or something like that) indicate that Snow will be the one to finally free the land of the evil queen.
The visuals in this movie are pretty terrific, the manifestations of the queen’s powers especially impressive. What I really appreciate is how well-lighted the film is. Too many movies seem to rely on dim lighting in order to set the mood, but the audience’s interpretation of the action is horribly affected by this decision. Instead, the costumes and set design provide most of the darkness, with the actors and special effects supplying the rest. This is some pretty confident film-making.
It’s not exactly a film that sticks with you. Part of that has to be that there’s a definite downplaying of the romantic angle of the tale, and whether that was the original intent or a consequence of the very thin chemistry between Stewart and the competing love interests (there is a sort of Prince Charming in addition to the huntsman, but he’s not really a prince and he’s not especially charming) is hard to say. One suspects it may be the result of Stewart’s limited acting range, but I get the feeling it has more to do with the film’s very feminist themes. Minus the romance, the story sort of depends on the audience’s investment in Snow’s tough resolve and in her quest to win her kingdom, but when the feminist protagonist soundly defeats the feminist antagonist, the emotional payoff feels thin.
So it’s not a feel-good movie, but it’s definitely a look-good movie, and worth a couple of hours if you’re a little tired of Disneyfied fairy tales.
7/10 (IMDb rating)
73/100 (Criticker rating)
Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth
Snow White and the Huntsman is the second Snow White adaptation in movie theaters in 2012, and where Mirror Mirror was a comical, pretty movie with peacock-inspired costumes and a lot of prettiness, this second is dark and stylized, kind of cold and vengeful. Julia Roberts as the wicked queen in Mirror Mirror is shallow and vain; Charlize Theron as the same character in Snow White and the Huntsman is much worthier of the wicked brand, playing the beautiful stepmother with a poisonous hate for men and for the way they treat women. It’s easy to laugh at the Roberts character, but the Theron character is downright scary, and when she gets angry enough to raise her voice, you’re sure she’s going to behead someone, possibly even you, and suck your brain out through your eye socket.
As the title character, Kristen Stewart is a lean, tough, almost gritty character. I’ve never thought too much of her as an actress, but she’s mostly okay in this movie, and not a lot is really expected of her. I appreciated the queen’s mirror’s little twist on the tale, explaining to the queen that it’s fairness of blood, not fairness of appearance, that will be the queen’s undoing. Stewart is pretty, but she’s pretty in a normal way, choosing instead to let the strength of her character and the stubbornness of her will take the lead.
Chris Hemsworth is the huntsman, convinced by the queen to retrieve Snow from the Dark Forest, into which the queen’s powers do not reach. The huntsman knows the forest and has survived it where few have, presumably because the darkness in his heart after his wife’s death has made him comfortable there. He changes his allegiance when he discovers who Snow is.
The dwarfs are tough, smart little people, dangerous themselves but sworn to serve Snow. When they lead Snow and the huntsman into the sanctuary of the faeries, the actions of the faerie queen (or the spirit of the forest, or something like that) indicate that Snow will be the one to finally free the land of the evil queen.
The visuals in this movie are pretty terrific, the manifestations of the queen’s powers especially impressive. What I really appreciate is how well-lighted the film is. Too many movies seem to rely on dim lighting in order to set the mood, but the audience’s interpretation of the action is horribly affected by this decision. Instead, the costumes and set design provide most of the darkness, with the actors and special effects supplying the rest. This is some pretty confident film-making.
It’s not exactly a film that sticks with you. Part of that has to be that there’s a definite downplaying of the romantic angle of the tale, and whether that was the original intent or a consequence of the very thin chemistry between Stewart and the competing love interests (there is a sort of Prince Charming in addition to the huntsman, but he’s not really a prince and he’s not especially charming) is hard to say. One suspects it may be the result of Stewart’s limited acting range, but I get the feeling it has more to do with the film’s very feminist themes. Minus the romance, the story sort of depends on the audience’s investment in Snow’s tough resolve and in her quest to win her kingdom, but when the feminist protagonist soundly defeats the feminist antagonist, the emotional payoff feels thin.
So it’s not a feel-good movie, but it’s definitely a look-good movie, and worth a couple of hours if you’re a little tired of Disneyfied fairy tales.
7/10 (IMDb rating)
73/100 (Criticker rating)