It's a classic story, and anyone who doesn't know it is either too young to be able to watch a DVD without pooping themselves, or too old to remember if they've pooped themselves. But of course, there's a new perspective on this one: the evil Queen Ravenna tricks the recently widowed King Magnus (father of Snow White) into marriage, only to murder him in the marriage bed and assume control of his kingdom. Our Princess is then locked in the highest tower for fifteen years, whilst the youth obsessed Queen literally drains the life out of all young attractive women she can get her hands on. When the famed Magic Mirror reveals that the newly adult Snow White is fairer than the Queen, she sends her brother to kill Snow White, only for the Princess to escape to the Dark Forest. Cue the hiring of Eric the Huntsman to find her, only to have a charge of heart about whether to hand her over or not, and he helps her on her quest to overthrow the evil Queen. Simple? Yeah it's pretty standard stuff, but that's basically all the story needs.
If you're expecting ground breaking performances, you're probably in the wrong place though. Stewart's Snow White a strong-willed but gentle and innocent character, and while you certainly get that impression from the actress, I (and several other punters who left the cinema) simply cannot get over the fact that she barely ever changes her facial expression; so much so that when she does smile, I found it slightly disturbing in unfamiliarity. Not to mention a ridiculously over-the-top English accent to boot. She's not that bad, but she is basically just Kristen Stewart wearing armour and speaking with a daft accent. Chris Hemsworth channels his best Thor accent mixed with a bit of a Braveheart feel as the Huntsman, and he's a character you do feel a little sympathy for, but his history is rushed hastily into the plot, and while you like him, you get the impression it's only because of Hemsworth, and not for what the character has experienced. Charlize Theron is quite probably the most impressive of the cast, as she's simply too many flew over the cuckoo nest as Queen Ravenna; utterly mental but in an intimidating manner, pretty much all that is asked of the role. Kudos too must go to Sam Spruell as Finn, the maniacal, completely detestable brother of the Queen.
Of course, what would a Snow White movie be without the dwarves? Indeed they do show up, and are fairly Lord Of The Rings-y (but we'll be coming back to that) in appearance. Unfortunately, whilst the dwarves add a sense of mischief and are an easy source of comedy for the film, they sway the darkness of the picture almost too much out of focus. Similarly to the Huntsmen, you feel that their backstory is simply a side-issue to the all-important Princess, not to mention it's a bit of a tired one (things were prosperous, Queen arrived, things aren't prosperous any more). There are genuinely enjoyable moments with the dwarves, but the most fun I got out of them was working out who plays them; amongst them we have Bob Hoskins, Ian McShane, Johnny Harris, Toby Jones, Nick Frost, Eddie Marsan, Brian Gleeson and Ray Winstone, who plays Ray Winstone, but this time in dwarf form.
One thing that this film is extremely guilty of, I must say, is that it seems to take a little too much inspiration from fellow fantasy movies. As previously mentioned, there is a lot of Lord Of The Rings in the appearance of the dwarves, not to mention a near carbon copy shot of small people trekking up mountainous terrain as seen from a helicopter. Another that really stood out was a glaringly similar take from The Never Ending Story, involving a horse and a swamp...tissues at the ready.. And there's more than a little bit of a Willow feel to the later interactions between Snow White, the dwarves and mother nature herself, though it's still fun enough if a little cheesy.
The strength of the film is definitely with the special effects. If you have a scene with Queen Ravenna in it, prepare for something spectacular. The movie goes all out to impress with weird and wonderful magic for the Queen, whether that is in the form of her phantom army and soldiers made entirely from shards of glass; whether it's the manner in which she transforms herself to and from a conspiracy of ravens; or if it is simply the way in which her physical age changes back and forth rapidly throughout the movie. It genuinely surprises me that they didn't attempt to release the movie in 3D, as the effects are already impressive, you can only imagine how much more impressive it may have looked with that bonus lovely dimension.
2/5 - It's enjoyable, and the all round feeling we got was "it's alright". It's better than most fairy tale imaginings, yes, and it's probably not going to be an ITV classic. However, the back stories are all rushed, other than Snow White herself, who is simply not interesting enough. Although it is extremely shiny and fun to look at.
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