Snow White and the Huntsman

My first thought leaving Snow White and the Huntsman was, "It could have been better, but it could have been much worse."  I liked the darker take on the classic Snow White fairy tale, and who doesn't love a princess that can fight for herself?  However, I think that this film did not realize its own potential.  There were moments of excellent symbolism that hinted at a deeper meaning, especially the scene with the White Stag.  I felt that the plot was under-developed and, at times, relied too heavily on the audience to not ask the question, "Why?"  You need a horse?  Oh look, there is one right by that rock!  Man, I really wish I could get out of here.  BAM!  There is the key to your escape that you have overlooked for the past ten years.  So what if I just broke out of imprisonment and the Huntsman just showed me how to use a knife like, yesterday?  I totally have the training to go into battle.


Visually, this film was very nice.  It was visually and thematically dark, with the exception of a few minutes in the middle, but it did not fall into the trap of being flat, as some 'dark' films do.  The whole palate drew on Snow White's physical description, "Skin as white as snow, hair as dark as a raven's wing, lips as red as a rose."  The contrast made the shots interesting and dynamic.  The battle scenes were sweeping and epic.  I cannot think of a single scene where I could not find something to look at.  The production values were easily the best part of the film.

There was one particular casting decision that left me wondering who even thought it would be a good idea.  I have made my opinions on Kristin Stewart's acting known before, but in case you missed it, I am not a fan. That being said, she was better in this one and only fell back on her default pained expression in a few moments where it was not appropriate.  What really confused me, was why she was even considered.  This film was full of British, Irish, South African, and Australian actors, with one random American--Kristin Stewart.  Her accent was decent, and had the happy side-effect of more deliberate line delivery, but could they really not find a single young British actress to play Snow White?  I will give her this, her performance was more emotive and did not often distract from the rest of the film.  She even smiled.

I really liked the twist on the Queen's character.  If she was not so evil, I would feel sorry.  I wish that filmmakers would have explored her background more.  It appeared they did not have time to delve into the Queen and establish the superfluous, half-baked love triangle.  In the original fairy tale and the animated Disney film, the Queen is very flat.  Charlize Theron does a wonderful job reinventing the character.

All things considered, I do not think this film was a waste of my money and time.  I enjoyed it as a unique take on an old classic.  I do not think it will be listed as one of the great films of the summer, but it was a good time.  I rate this film a D+.

Katelyn