Review: Snow White and the Huntsman

Director: Rupert Saunders. Stars: Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, Sam Claflin. 

Released: June 1, 2012

It is no secret that majority of fairy tales, in their original telling are dark, scary and can even be disturbing. In the original Sleeping Beauty, better known as Sun, Moon, and Talia (written by Giambattista Basile in 1634) there is necrophilia and rape. In the original The Little Mermaid (by Hans Christian Anderson in 1836) the “little mermaid” feels as if a sharp sword is stabbing her feet as she walks on her human legs, even as she dances for the prince who she loves. “The Prince” marries another (who he believes saved him, not the mermaid) and the little mermaid throws herself into the sea and becomes a spirit for 300 years and then sea foam; all this after refusing to kill him in order to become a mermaid again.  Snow White and the Huntsman is not out of the ordinary from the darker original, Snow White and Seven Dwarfs written by The Brothers Grimm in 1812. In which the huntsman is hired by the evil queen to kill Snow White in the dark forest and return with her liver and lungs. He is unable to since he has fallen in love with Snow White. There is still a poisoned apple and magic mirror in there as well. But in this darker adaptation of the classic fairy tale,lead by director Rupert Saunders with writers Evan Daugherty and John Lee Hancock falls short.

A big disappoint for a film that had a lot of potential was the writing. The dialogue was a little too simple, and for a lack of a better description, cheesy at times for an attempt to be darker, edgier and more realistic.  

The biggest disappointment was the characters and their development. We get some background of Queen Raveena’s (Theron) story (and was that to make us care and feel for the villain?) and learn why she is the way she is and her motivation, but I needed more than just the fact that she has been wronged by men, told since childhood they are bad and only to rely on her beauty to gain power. It makes her a simple and crazy man hater, who dwells on her beauty and eats the hearts and souls of the youth. If it were not for the talented Charlize Theron playing the part and giving some depth, Queen Raveena would be in B films or comic books tying damsels in distress to railroad tracks.

The Prince, aka William (Claflin), yes his name is William and he is a prince,  is Snow White’s childhood friend and the one she is meant to be with....right? That is essentially as far as his character goes. We don’t know much else about him. From start to finish he is the same. After Snow White’s father has been killed, they are separated. Years later, William finds out she is alive and does what all good Princes do. He sets off into the dark forest to find and rescue her, but she’s doing okay.

Enter the Huntsman (Hemsworth) who is still hired by Queen Raveena to find Snow White in the dark forest. After his wife’s death (we don`t know how, why or when) he drowns his sorrows with drink and gamble. Before then he was one of the few who have made it alive out of the dark forest. The queen offers to bring his wife back from death if he finds Snow White.  He is the typical, heartbroken male whose former glory days are gone and his spirit is gone. He would fit right in a western. He finds Snow White, before he realizes who she really is, the previous King Magnus’s daughter thought for dead.  Once the Huntsman finds out the queen can’t actually bring back people from the dead, he’s pissed and joins forces with Snow White. That’s not all why he does it...he is falling in love with her. It is his kiss, and not the Prince’s that brings her back to life. We are not even sure of she is aware of this or how she really feels for the both of them. So the love triangle has been set for the sequel.

The focus of that triangle and film of course, is the famous Snow White. With bright red lips, raven black hair and whose heart is so pure that if the queen eats it, she will stay young, beautiful and powerful forever. Just like her Disney counterpart, she can connect with animals and make the meanest of trolls and dwarfs like her. It is not a terrible performance by Stewart, but the way she is written and at times acted makes we wonder if it is really worth all the trouble to save her, raise an army and defeat Queen Raveena. That the Hunstman (who claims she reminds him of his wife) and Prince can do better.  Snow White seems more like the girl next door, than the most beautiful and pure woman on earth who is destined to be queen. Her speech near the end to rally the troops is not the most inspiring one and once the war actually starts, she does little fighting. For an attempt to make Snow White more modern, independent and "bad ass," despite having moments of great courage, she falls and gets scared a lot, and is saved numerous times from the men around her. 

The big climax of the film, the showdown between Snow White, all dressed in armor, and Queen Raveena is a big letdown. It’s short and for the most part Snow White’s butt is being kicked. As the queen does what all villains do when they feel they are about to win, they go into a monologue about how great they are and then...a simple stab to the heart is all it takes...The end.

What saves and makes this film enjoyable to watch are the visuals. The landscape and settings, such as the English countryside, the dark forest, etc are beautiful, and matched with lovely cinematography. At times it does feel a little Lord of the Rings like in its images, but beautiful to watch nonetheless. Of course I have to mention the costumes (in particular the queens) and the score adds to the epic feel of the film. The special effects, including the make up to make characters look older is great. Another great element to the film is the seven dwarfs that include Ian McShane, Toby Jones and Nick Frost. They are not your typical dwarfs and add some good comic relief. The special effects to make the non dwarf actors look like dwarfs are on par, possibly better than the dwarfs for Lord of the Rings.

A sequel has been announced, no actual date yet, and I’m not sure what the plot will exactly entail. Let’s hope the writing and character development match the beautiful visuals.