Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Title: Snow White and the Huntsman
Director: Rupert Sanders
Format: live action movie
Length: 127 minutes

The new Snow White movie came out just the other week and I managed to see it yesterday. I didn't get the chance to review right away, but my memory is fresh enough that one day won't hurt. To start, let's talk about the movie as a whole. It was visually stimulating and the soundtrack was well suited for the moments. The graphics of mythical creatures was alluring, even the troll under the bridge. I especially liked the graphics that aided in expressing the Queen's (played by Charlize Theron) magic. What you see in the previews is very much what you get in the movie.

Now let's go with the plot. This movie takes on an old fairytale (and Disney favorite for many people) and puts an interesting twist on the plot. We see how Snow White came to be, and why the Queen wants her so much. Yes, we know it's because she's supposed to be "the fairest of them all," but there's a little more depth do it than just because she's pretty. The Queen's character is complex, and her background plays a major role in dictating why she acts the way she does. We see how her foundation sets into motion this terrible chain of events that poisons the land and her own soul.

I would have liked to see a little more of her story, but for what little we do see, Charlize does an excellent job of projecting that history through the Queen's current actions and the emotions that ride her. I believe Charlize did a wonderful job in making the Queen someone who was believable and creepy. Someone who you could possibly relate to. (I wanted her to win, frankly.)

On the opposite side, we have Snow White (played by Kristen Stewart), aka: the Princess. They hardly say her given name in the movie, only mentioning it in the narrative in the beginning. Otherwise she is only known as "the princess." Snow White's character has lived a harsh life, and the journey she takes is a grueling one. She has to learn to trust, and find her resolve to fight the Queen and put an end to her reign. It's not easy. She meets many trials along the way.

As a character, I thought SW was okay. But played by Kristen, I had a hard time relating to her. I couldn't get into her character because Kristen didn't portray SW's emotions well. I noticed that Kristen only wears one expression on her face: blank. Her facial muscles don't move very much, least of all to close her mouth (the only time she seems to close her mouth is when she's dead -- that's not a spoiler, we already know from the original Snow White story that she has to die). I couldn't tell if she was angry or surprised or happy or sad except when she inflected her voice and showed tears. Otherwise, it was hard buying into her acting.

(Personally, I think Kristen would do better as a voice actress since she can convey the emotions in her voice well, but not a visual actress since she can't portray them on her face.)

As for the Huntsman (played by Chris Hemsworth), I felt neutral about him. I wasn't overly impressed or disappointed with his character. He was, quite plainly, a support character. Chris plays his role well, but there were times when I wondered if he couldn't be a little more vocal with his emotions during more serious parts of the movie. Perhaps I didn't give him a close enough look when I watched the movie, but he didn't really stand out to me.

One male character that did stand out was the Queen's brother, Finn (played by Sam Spruell). While not an overly 3-dimensional character, I very much enjoyed his interactions with his sister. Sam and Charlize had an interesting chemistry. They seemed to feed off of each other. You could believe they had a dysfunctional sibling relationship. (And as an extra little tidbit, I also enjoyed the fight scene between the Huntsman and Finn. Can anyone say pimp cane?)

Speaking of actors and characters, one thing to note while watching this movie is that you'll recognize cast members from a recent, well known saga. Cast members from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides play key supporting characters in this movie. If you've seen it before, you'll instantly recognize them here.

But apart from the acting and visuals, the movie was a pleasant experience. It felt like the story could have been extended upon, but I'm not sure if I could have stood to watch SW's character be mistreated by a poor choice in actress for a minute longer. Also, there were some wardrobe inconsistencies, especially with SW's character, that bothered me a bit. It was blatantly obvious when they were trying to make her look "sexy" during certain parts, because it didn't quite fit with the context of the story. Likewise, not just with the clothes, you could tell when they dyed Kristen's hair to better fit the character's description. Kristen's hair is three different shades of brown, and finally in one scene it's actually black as night.

There were a bunch of little things that the editors didn't catch and fix while they were making the movie that you can see rather obviously as you watch the movie. While it doesn't necessarily detract from the experience, I had a hard time ignoring it altogether. At the very least, I enjoyed most of the movie, especially key characters, both main and supporting. Overall, it's an okay movie. If there's a discount theatre that shows this movie, I would suggest going there instead of paying full price. Or maybe even wait until you can rent it.

Overall: 3.5 out of 5