How many times can a story be told before it runs completely
dry? I am inclined to believe as long as there are artists, there will endless
ways to re–tell old stories, even if that means revisiting the original source
for most of your inspiration. “Snow White and the Huntsmen” does just that,
going back to the original fairy tale to provide a more refreshing take on the classic
story.
The story of Snow White is pretty well known, a few elements
exist no matter what telling of the story you’re hearing: an evil queen
commands her magic mirror to tell her who the fairest maiden in all the land
is; to which the mirror responds “Snow White.” This prompts the Queen to send a
huntsman to kill Snow White and bring back her heart.
In director Rupert Sanders’ update of the classic tale,
these elements
Exist, though
they all get a slick gothic upgrade. The mirror in “Snow White and the
Huntsmen” molds itself into a liquid man that resembles the bad robot from
“Terminator 2,” the evil Queen is played by Charlize Theron and can morph into
a group of ravens and Kristen Stewart plays the part of Snow White, who is
considerably more grungy and raw than in conventional telling of the story.
I appreciate the lengths to which Sanders goes in an attempt
to create the gothic atmosphere which better represents the original Grimm
Bros. fairy tale. Many of the creatures and sets look pretty incredible, in
particular the Dark Forest seems much more frightening and intimidating in
Sander’s version.
I think this edgier take on the story appears refreshing
after most popularized versions have a much purer take on the story; obviously
the Disney cartoon comes quickly to mind. Sanders paints his world in a swirl
of grays and dark blues, never letting us forget the grim place we are
visiting.
“Snow White and the Huntsmen” starts out very strong, with a
brisk telling and a strong flashback. The opening battle sequences are
promising and the visuals draw you in, I thought for awhile this would be one
of the better fantasy pieces I’ve seen in a few years. Instead the film became
muddled, lost in a sea of not quite fully developed characters, slouching
towards a conclusion we already knew was coming.
I would think starting with a story so well known would be
an advantage, you may not have to spend so much time setting up each event, as
the audience already knows what to expect. Instead “Snow White and the
Huntsmen” spends a superfluous amount of time justifying its events. We receive
three pieces of validation that Snow White is destined to overthrow the queen
when one would have sufficed.
What this does is cause The Queen, Snow White, The Huntsman
(Chris Hemsworth) and The Prince (Sam Claflin) to become underdeveloped and
singularly motivated. Rather than receiving interesting information on each, we
receive some information on the queen and then just know what we need about the
rest of the characters for the plot to make sense. I think for this to truly be
a new telling of Snow White, some characters should step out of their fairy
tale conventions and become more interesting, dynamic characters.
The plot also drags in parts due to the poor pacing of the
film. After the opening we slog into the captive Snow White escaping, then move
to a great chase through the Dark Forest only to move on to a boring forty–five
minutes to an hour of the film where we only set up the rebellion we knew was
happening.
In many ways I appreciated “Snow White and the Huntsman.”
I’m a fan of gothic fantasy and thought this film had the visuals all lined up
to be a great film, but instead the movie never pushed the envelope to separate
and create an interesting story.
If you’re going to make a two hour–plus film about a story
we know well, you need to provide enough interesting elements to keep the
audience engaged with the story. Visually “Snow White and the Huntsman”
accomplishes this and I think early on the story is engaging, but the film
staggers in the middle and can’t quite recover in the end, despite some more
engaging battle sequences. “Snow White and the Huntsman” is almost there and is
worth a watch, you just may want wait to rent it in a few months.
Snow White and the Huntsman receives a 6/10
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