Contributor: Andy Spencer
Written by Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock, and Hossein Amini
Directed by Rupert Sanders
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
“Snow White and the Huntsman” is a very average film. What’s frustrating is that it could have been a very good one but for a few aspects that manage to balance out all the best parts. I wasn’t expecting anything Oscar-worthy, but the film almost never met what I had hoped for, which was not all that much to begin with.
The first things anyone will notice are the very, very good art direction and visual effects. As promised with the opening monologue, colors are rich and vivid, making the world look every inch the land where fairy tales are born. Blood is starkly crimson, and darkness is absolute. The lands Snow White’s journey leads her to are marvels of design. The Dark Forest, with branches that turn to snakes and burnt-down, twisted aesthetic, brings to mind Guillermo del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth”. Surreal dangers lurk behind every tree and under every branch, creating suspense out of the desire to know what horror our heroine will confront next. The Enchanted Forest (I cannot recall the name used in the film) is the polar opposite. Fairies flutter in brilliant yellow comets, and mushrooms grow eyes to watch in awe as Snow White passes. These locales are the most memorable, but virtually every location looks pleasantly distinct.
The latter is inhabited by the eight surviving dwarves (they are eventually reduced to the familiar seven, thanks to a well-placed arrow), who could have played a larger, more involved role. I get that this isn’t Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but these guys are seriously lacking, and suffer the most from the poor script. Of them all, only the one portrayed by Nick Frost conjures anything more than a shadow of a chuckle. In hindsight, they seem to have been a rather unnecessary addition to the film, though they gain a point or two by lending an important hand in the final battle. Prince William, Snow White’s friend from childhood, is never really given enough time to feel at all important, despite his skill with a bow and arrow that is comparable to Legolas. And you would never know that the Queen’s brother was just that unless it was stated so many times. He is treated more like a willing servant than her one surviving family member.
Which, finally, brings me to Snow White herself. Kristen Stewart does an adequate job, playing a stronger Snow White than is generally associated with the name. Relentlessly pursuing her is Queen Ravenna, whom Charlize Theron manages to craft into a superbly evil, beautiful villainess. The Queen commands an inventive supernatural arsenal, including the extremely well-done ability to summon clouds of sharpened black pieces of metal. She needs Snow White’s beating heart in order to attain immortality, presumably so she can take over the world. She sends the Huntsman, portrayed by Chris Hemsworth, to catch Snow White. Hemsworth works well with what he’s given, but it’s all too difficult to shake the image of Thor from one’s mind when “The Avengers” is still going strong.
So far, the film is doing quite nicely. However, in the latter half, the screenplay, which had managed to not intrude upon proceedings up to that point, suddenly begins to stumble. A love triangle is introduced (though, thankfully, not elaborated or acted upon), a limp speech is delivered, and a vapid clash between the Queen’s army and its opposition is fought and won. Somehow, in this time every main character, with the exception of the Queen, loses much of their respect and potential audience investment, delivering lines that are offensively cliched. The film ends with the emotionless, inevitable crowning of Snow White as Queen, and any triumphant air sucked away by the foreknowledge of this conclusion.
The film’s ambition to subvert the image commonly associated with Snow White is admirable, and succeeds brilliantly at times. But throwaway characters, predictable plot, and tremendously shallow screenplay manage to undermine that effort more than handily enough for me to come away disappointed.
Score: 5/10
