Movie Review: Snow White and the Huntsman

Title: Snow White and the Huntsman
Director: Rupert Sanders
Year Released: 2012
Running Time: 127 minutes
Classification: PG-13
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fantasy

This movie has received quite a few negative reviews and it is not hard to see why. I mean, I knew before seeing it that Snow White and the Huntsman didn't exactly receive glowing accolades, but I wanted to give it a chance anyway, especially since my taste is questionable. Sadly, it proved to be a mess of a movie, and not in the enjoyable way either.

So it's a dark and gritty retelling of the Snow White myth, where Snow White (Kristen Stewart) is transformed into an action girl who escapes the evil queen (Charlize Theron) with the help of an Oirish Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) and eventually leads (?) an army to reclaim her throne. There are some pretty interesting concepts at play, the evil queen's back story and the magic of the fairest being the most intriguing. Unfortunately, most of these are never properly fleshed out; you have a sprinkling of great ideas, but they never go anywhere. It even feels as if there is no depth beyond the surface, that all we see is all that has been conceived. So much potential, wasted.

The original story has been tweaked to give it an epic scope, but the film never lives up to its lofty ambitions. Too much happens, and not enough. Events keep piling up, one after another, and the whole thing feels rushed. There isn't enough time for things to sink in, or for you to care about the characters. Case in point: I can't even remember how many dwarves there were, and I just watched this film. I also didn't buy the idea that Snow could lead an army against the queen – being locked up for long, she has no military or combat training and there was not enough build up to make me believe that she could inspire such loyalty in the people. The plot, as it is, would perhaps have been better suited to a miniseries or a book; a two-hour film is not enough time for this retelling to achieve the impact it deserves.

These problems carry through to the script as well. Between the unbearably corny parts (looking at you, Mr. Old Dwarf) is the occasional heartfelt speech. However, given the pacing of the film, it's difficult to agree with the sentiments expressed – you're just not as invested as the characters are and their strong ~feelings~ seem to spring out of nothing. The actors do alright, given what they have to work with, so sure, you believe that they care, but it's hard for you to do the same.

Snow White and the Huntsman is a nice looking film, though some scenes do little more than highlight how attractive Charlize Theron is (looking at you, milk bathing scene). But despite this and some cool ideas, the film manages to be kind of boring. It's a little like Wrath of the Titans in that regard; it's easy to disengage with but entertaining enough to endure.


Alex's Rating: 2.5/5