In one of those strange bits of Hollywood kismet that results in two asteroid movies or two volcano movies coming out in the same year, 2012 has seen the curious cinematic resurgence of known dwarf co-habitant and undiscerning produce fan, Snow White. Both of this year’s efforts (with more reportedly on the way) offer revisionist takes on the familiar fairy tale, recasting the famously naïve and trusting young girl as something of a more credible heroine in our modern landscape. In an effort to beat Snow White and the Huntsman to the punch, the lush, comedic Mirror, Mirror came out in March and breezed through theatres with little fanfare despite the presence of Julia Roberts as the whimsically evil Queen. Huntsman takes a different approach: Snow White isn’t a moon-faced waif, but destined to be a leader of men who leads an oppressed populace against the tyranny of her land’s ruler, the usurping Queen. It’s the Brothers Grimm given the Lord of the Rings treatment.
The queen here is called Ravenna (Charlize Theron, Young Adult), a near-immortal who tricks her way into the King’s favor and kills him shortly after their wedding, becoming ruler of a kingdom that quickly falls to the decay of her tyranny and black magic. With her regime in place and magic mirror firmly affixed to the wall, Ravenna takes the King’s young daughter, Snow White, and locks her in a castle tower, her father’s former supporters scattered and thinking his heir dead. The day comes when Snow White, now a young woman (Twilight’s Kristen Stewart), is able to escape from the castle just at the moment when Ravenna’s mirror proclaims that in order to be declared “fairest of them all,” Ravenna must kill her rival and consume her heart.
On the run, Snow White encounters the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, The Avengers), a drunk still reeling from the death of his wife, another casualty of Ravenna’s brutal reign. The Huntsman is coerced into working for Ravenna in tracking Snow down through the dangerous Dark Forest. Part Thor, part Han Solo (like Han, he’s not in it for the princess’ revolution, just the money), the Huntsman switches sides for a large sum of gold and agrees to escort the wayward princess to where the dregs of her father’s loyalists are trying to marshal their forces.
“How do I inspire?” Snow White wonders aloud at one point, having been whisked from one fantastical location to another, all on the premise that she is destined to lead the army back to Ravenna and retake the kingdom. It’s kind of a mystery for viewers, too: There’s little compelling about this character the script goes to great lengths to assure us is really important and, like, totally inspirational to all who meet her. Seriously, guys. Part of the fault is in the script, which assumes that having every character around her insist that she is meant for a profound destiny counts as character development. Strangely, the decision to turn Snow White from virginal naïf to fairy tale Joan of Arc doesn’t empower her, but keeps her a prop for the story, an object rather than the hero of her own movie.
Stewart is, unequivocally, the movie’s weakest class. Stewart, who took a critical beating for her monotone, glassy-eyed performances as Twilight’s Bella Swan, brings that same lack of presence to her Snow White. She’s outclassed by virtually every other actor on screen: The film’s best actors – among them Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Toby Jones and Ray Winstone – are buried under prosthetics and makeup as the dwarves. (Yes, dwarves. You can’t have Snow White without them, you know.) Theron is clearly having a ball playing Ravenna, and Hemsworth, on a roll following The Avengers and The Cabin in the Woods, carries most of the movie as the conflicted Huntsman.
Darkness and wonder abound equally in Snow White and the Huntsman, and it’s often breathtaking. If the film has a saving grace, it’s in its impressive visuals. From the dingy castle walls to lush faerie land, from Ravenna’s creepy mirror and bird-feather cloak to the final assault on the castle, Snow White is rife with dazzling imagery. The movie aims for a certain epic quality, and in this it succeeds where the story itself doesn’t. Journeyman director Rupert Sanders and his designers clearly have a unique aesthetic sense, and it’s a shame it’s wasted dressing for a tale that needed to be told differently.
Rating: 2 Stars
Film: Snow White and the Huntsman
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Sam Claflin, and Ian McShane
Directed By: Rupert Sanders
Written By: Evan Daugherty and John Lee Hancock and Hossein Amini
Story By: Evan Daugherty
Based On: the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm
Produced By: Joe Roth
Distributor: Universal
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: Approximately 127 minutes
Website: http://www.snowwhiteandthehuntsman.com/
Budget: $170,000,000
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Drama
Release Date: June 1, 2012
