Director: Rupert Sanders
Starring: Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth
Run Time: 127 minutes
Certificate: 12a
IMDb summary:In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen.
This grittier, darker and more atmospheric interpretation of the classic fairytale has both good and bad qualities. We'll start with the good: the acting. Charlize Theron's performance, which is highly dramatic and even ridiculous in parts, captures perfectly the ravenous and desperate nature of the tortured Queen Ravenna, who we come to learn has an unfortunate past of her own. Needless to say, she is quite terrifying in the film, and there is none better than Theron to play such a powerful and corrupted character.
And then there's Kristen Stewart. Perhaps not the most obvious choice to play such a role as Snow White, but she pulls it off surprisingly well, simply because it is refreshing to finally see her acting with both confidence and professionalism. If you're looking for the awkward girl that stumbles hopelessly over words, a trait which Stewart has claimed both on and off screen, you will not find her in this film. She is in control, determined and brave - and Stewart has embodied the character perfectly. Her British accent is also very good, for the record. Perhaps the same cannot be said for Hemsworth's slurred version of Scottish, but he too is an asset to the film, and provides yet more character and relationship development, as well as some amazing fight sequences, of course.
So, as regards to the performances, Snow White and The Huntsman ticks all the right boxes. Narratively? Not so much. As seems custom for many films this summer, the script is lacking and seems rushed in parts. The ending in particular is quite anti - climatic, which is a shame given the film's other positive qualities. Don't get me wrong, its still a far cry from the catastrophically bad 'Battlefield', for example, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. What is missing in the narrative nevertheless, is utterly made up for in visuals. For once, the fantasy land that we all imagine, and occasionally want to live in (admit it), is made a reality on the big screen, and audiences will be awed by the fantastic use of color and CGI.
Snow White and the Huntsman is a mixed bag, but it seems that the good does outweigh the bad. As a Friday night film, it works really well - just don't expect a profound cinematic version that explores the themes of a corrupt medieval society or the emotional depths of the age old fairytale. Just expect...a version.
