Failed mix of fantasy movies: Snow White And The Huntsman

I heard very positive and very negative opinions on this film, so I decided I wanted to see which I agreed with…and I think you can infer it from the title of this post.

As a preface I should say I don’t particularly like Kristen Stewart as an actress because of her unexpressive face and voice (I think I have already mentioned that in the post about Into The Wild in which she plays a little role) and considering she is the protagonist the premise isn’t the best.

Anyway, I went to the cinema without prejudices and I was convinced to give her another chance. Let’s say she is not one of the worst troubles of the film.

The script to begin with is inconsistent, it actually doesn’t lead to anything and just leaves you with a sense of emptiness which neither a film like American Pie or Scary Movie can’t render (at least those make you laugh sometimes). Snow White’s speech which should be the key to stir up the people against the cruel heartless Queen Ravenna is really meaningless and doesn’t stand out from the rest of the dialogues. These don’t even explain or at least show you how she and the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) are supposed to love each other. The thing going on between them is only hinted at, but we are told indirectly that his is the kiss of true love.

The problem with this remake is that there is no harmony between the basic points of the tale and the new elements. The mirror is addressed with the same formula as in the original but it is completely different from the classic therefore it sounds odd. The apple is given to Snow White (from now on SW) without any apparent reason by the Queen who took the resemblance of William, SW’s old friend. She had no reason to do that simply because if she needs her heart poisoning her and not ripping it away from her immediately makes no sense. These are just two examples of how the author wanted the audience to remember it was a remake of the classic tale but without caring too much about the overall outcome.

“Mix” should probably be replaced with “mess”. The first time we see SW as an 18-year-old girl she is saying a Christian prayer while holding two dolls, which really look like voodoo dolls. After she has met the dwarfs and one of them has died due to a raid they all sing heathen songs at his funeral (he was burnt at the stake). The two religious elements don’t combine and don’t fit together well. Everything is very vague, so that in the end the impression is not having seen anything at all.

Many elements are taken form other famous fantasy films:

  • From The Chronicles of Narnia. The Wardrobe. The Lion. The Witch they tried to recreate the landscapes and took the unicorn (which recalls the figure of the wise Lion) and also some traits of the wicked Witch and her power connected to winter and ice.
  • From The Hobbit they took the song some creatures sing which have a vague fantasy Mediaeval flavour;
  • From Disney’s SW the classic elements of the tale I mentioned above.

After two hours you expect a breathtaking battle against the two armadas but especially between SW and the Ravenna, but all we are given is a ridiculous battle which ends with a meaningless line “You will never have my heart” nothing more, nothing less. Pretty disappointing, but not as much as the final scene of the coronation of SW. Kristen Stewart manages not to express any emotion: I mean SW should be super excited to have her reign back and to be surrounded by the people who love her. Yet all she does is a barely hinted at smile. We are not not told anything about what happens after, if something goes on between her and the Huntsman (and honestly I have not understood when and why they fell in love each other). Not to mention the classic stereotype of the love story (if there is one really) between the simple, but trustful, man who can’t stand her at the beginning and the pure naif girl.

All in all, and I can’t say that for many films luckily, this film conveyed nothing indeed. I tried to see the pros, but really I don’t understand how people like this film. I think it has been much overrated. And as much for the my chance to Kristen Stewart, although I’ve watched the film in Italian, I could still see her expressions and I really think she is overrated, too. I reckon she represents this film: neither of them communicates anything.

Vote: 4

PS I prefer Snow White like this:

I prefer Snow White like this: