“Snow White & the Huntsman” is a much darker adaptation of the classic story than “Mirror Mirror”, the Julia Roberts family comedy that came out in March. It’s also a much, much better film.
This version is set in medieval times. It begins with Snow White as a young princess. Her mother, the Queen, has died and her father, the King, is tricked into fighting a battle against a mysterious army. After winning the battle he rescues a prisoner, who turns out to be a beautiful woman who he instantly marries. The woman turns out to be the evil Ravenna (played by Charlize Theron). Once she becomes Queen she takes over the kingdom and locks Snow White in the North Tower where she remains for years.
An older Snow White (“Twilight”‘s Kristen Stewart) eventually escapes and makes it to the forest where she’s pursued by the Huntsman (“The Avengers”‘ Chris Hemsworth), becomes friends with the Seven Dwarfs and tries to come-up with a way to defeat Ravenna and save the kingdom. There’s some of the original Disney “Snow White” in this new story and much of the story is new. But be very clear – there’s no “Hi Ho-ing” going on here.
I wondered going in if it was possible to fill two hours with this basic plot. But Director Rupert Sanders does it in style, by introducing many new characters and adding layers and plot twists. And it all works. Sanders has turned this simple fairy tale into a sweeping action/adventure film with heroes, exotic locations, magic, suspense, battle scenes and one fantastic villain.
Theron is outstanding as Ravenna. Unlike Roberts unsuccessful attempt in “Mirror Mirror”, Theron is so good at playing evil that it’s…well…scary. We mostly see her in the castle, getting weirder and crazier as she gets more desperate to eat Snow White’s heart so she can stay young forever. And she goes through a lot of different looks and handles them all very well. Stewart and Hemsworth are both likeable actors and they work very well together here. Stewart, who’s pretty mellow in the “Twilight” films, gets to show her strength both physically in the action scenes and with her performance. Hemsworth reminds me of a young Russell Crowe and does a nice job in a role that has some surprising layers to it.
The special effects in “Snow White & The Huntsman” are first rate, in fact many are pretty “cool” – a word I rarely get to use when describing scenes in action films. This is Sanders’ directorial debut, and he showcases his talents and imagination with a wide variety of camera shots, angles and images. The editing could have been a little cleaner.
“Snow White & The Huntsman” is rated PG-13 for the action/violence. There’s plenty of killing, with blood and some brief adult content. It’s appropriate for kids 12 and up as long as they know this is not the cute, sweet, funny Snow White that they’re use to. But don’t expect non-stop action, either. What this movie has that most adventure films don’t is great pacing, which helps build to a nice, climatic finish. And it also has a surprise at the end that you’ve never seen in any other version of this story.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “Snow White & The Huntsman” gets a B+. A great script and stunning visual look makes this one of the best films of the year. That being said, we really don’t need another “Snow White” movie for long time.