By: Stefany Olivas, Business Manager
A mediocre delivery of an intriguing concept
The movie is packed with adventures through mysterious lands that are enhanced by the stunning cinematography which enriches the imagery of fairytale creatures and the land in which they dwell.
The movie begins by telling the traditional story of how Snow White, played by Kristen Stewart (“The Twilight Saga”, “The Runaways”), came to be the kingdom’s only hope for salvation from the ghastly reign of her stepmother, the Evil Queen Ravenna, played by Charlize Theron (“Aeon Flux”, “Young Adult”). Theron and Stewart deliver good performances overall, but lack sincerity in some crucial plot and character development. Though the actors do what they can with their roles, the script leaves much to be desired.
When Snow White’s mother dies, King Magnus, Noah Huntley (“28 Days Later”), falls into a deep depression. It is not until he meets Ravenna that he finally forgets the sorrow of losing his late wife.
Screenplay writers John Lee Hancock, Hossein Amini and Evan Daugherty include classic plot points in Ravenna’s character not only as the evil stepmother, but as a witch with great power who will stop at nothing to attain immortality.
Theron is over the top but convincing as the Evil Queen and does her best to work with the under-developed script. This appears to restrict her abilities at times.
The night of the wedding, Ravenna murders the King and imprisons Snow White in a tower for what appears to be almost a decade.
As in the classic fairytale, once Snow White comes of age, she becomes a threat to the Queen. She is the only person who can take away the Queen’s powers, avenge The King’s death and restore order to the kingdom. Shortly after the Evil Queen discovers she must eat Snow White’s beating heart to attain eternal youth, Snow White escapes and flees the palace, only to end up in the Dark Forest.
The Queen then hires the hunky and emotionally damaged Huntsman, played by Chris Hemsworth (“Avengers”, “Red Dawn”), to navigate the treacherous forest to find and capture Snow White. The Huntsman spares Snow White not because he falls in love with her, as in traditional stories, but because of the Queen’s broken promise to raise his wife from the dead.
Stewart and Hemsworth have decent onscreen chemistry and the dwarves, who are introduced about an hour into the film, add humor and novelty to the reinvented story. Stewart flawlessly depicts an innocent and pure Snow White, but once she is expected to lead an army into battle, fails to be the fearless heroine audiences envision her to be.
The film holds true to much of the traditional fairytale which makes the movie predictable but many original twists add exciting points which create suspense and anticipation.
The CNM Chronicle gives “Snow White and the Huntsman” three out of five poison apples.
