Movie Info
Movie Name: Snow White and the Huntsman
Studio: Roth Films
Genre(s): Romance/Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Release Date(s): June 1, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Snow White (Kristen Stewart) is a princess who has lost her kingdom. Her father married a woman named Ravenna (Charlize Theron) who was really his enemy and killed him to take his kingdom. Eat the life and souls of her victims, Ravenna learns that everlasting youth can come to her by consuming the pure Snow White’s heart. Snow White flees into the wilderness and a huntsman named Eric (Chris Hemsworth) pursues her into the untamed land in the hopes that Ravenna will restore his wife. When Eric learns the importance of Snow White, he learns that Snow White is the only one who can lead the rebellion to stop Ravenna forever.
Directed by Rupert Sanders, Snow White and the Huntsman was met by huge box office returns but average reviews. The movie did receive two nominations for Academy Awards for Best Costume Design and Best Visual Effects.
I didn’t have much desire to see Snow White and the Huntsman. Grimm’s Snow White was never one of my favorite fairytale, and I’m not a fan of Kristen Stewart. The movie while in production found itself going head-to-head with Mirror Mirror starring Julia Roberts and Lily Collins…Snow White and the Huntsman came out on top. The movie’s visuals were tempting, but not enough for me to really seek it out. With some knocks against it, I tried to go into it with an open mind.
Kristen Stewart is not a star. As an actress, she is just extremely dull and emotionless as she tackles her roles. People talk about how big of a moneymaker she is even starting with Panic Room, but she is in huge films. It didn’t matter who they stuck in Twilight, Twilight was going to be a success…Stewart had nothing to do with it.
Acting-wise, Snow White and the Huntman is saved by Hemsworth and especially Theron. Between this film and Prometheus, Theron has mastered the cold and calculating villainous woman and seems to relish it. She works in her scenes, but she’s built up as a nice villain so it is pretty weak that she goes out like a chump with a really simple end fight and getting stabbed.
Most of what work in Snow White and the Huntsman is some rather interesting visuals. The film has some great looking scenes in the middle section, but I was shocked to see such a blatant rip-off of the Forest Spirit from Princess Mononoke…a movie which is great. The movie also had some controversy tied to it with the eight “dwarves” who were little people with the actors Ian McShane, Johnny Harris, Toby Jones, Eddie Marsan, Ray Winstone, Nick Frost, Brian Gleeson, and Bob Hoskins (in his last role before announcing retirement) faces imposed on them. Groups decried the move since they could have just hired little people to act and perform the roles.
Snow White and the Huntsman wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but it wasn’t good. The movie is way too long. The first thirty minutes or so really drag with Stewart mostly hogging the story. The movie does pick up the pace with the introduction of Eric and more scenes involving Charlize Theron. Theron and Hemsworth however are unable to save the movie from a dull ending. Snow White and the Huntsman was followed by The Huntsman: Winter’s War in 2016 which served as both a sequel and prequel to this film.