Snow White and the Huntsman re-imagines the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale as a Medieval fantasy epic, which starts off on a familiar note: A noble queen sees three drops of blood fall on fresh snow and wishes for a daughter who is just as fair. That daughter is born, but when the mother dies, the King, in his grief, takes on a new wife who proves to be his undoing. In this version, that evil queen is a man-hating sorceress named Ravenna (Charlize Theron), whose dark magic plunges the entire kingdom into despair and horror.
Ravenna is bonded to the fate of her captive stepdaughter, Snow White (Kristen Stewart), and when the vanity-feeding magic mirror informs her that Snow will either be her destruction or ticket to immortality, Ravenna opts for the “consume her beating heart” option. However, the 2012 Snow White is no mere damsel in distress and stages a brazen jailbreak, only to hop out of the frying pan and into the proverbial fire of the dark forest. Ravenna recruits the widowed drunkard of a Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to bring Snow back, but it slowly becomes apparent to the broken warrior that this girl is part of a larger destiny – one she will need his (and others’) help to fulfill.
Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth as Snow White and the Huntsman
It is a tricky thing to tell such a familiar story (“remake” and “reboot” have become dirty words, these days), and there is nothing more familiar than a fairy tale that has been spun and re-spun countless times over the span of two centuries. It’s also daunting when the man in the director’s chair (Rupert Sanders) is taking on a whale of a blockbuster epic as his first feature film.
Against all odds, however, Sanders takes the tale of Snow White and crafts it into something visually gorgeous that is at once familiar and refreshingly imaginative. From the stunning costumes of multi-Oscar-winning designer Colleen Atwood, to the set design and cinematography, Snow White and the Huntsman (known by its acronym-of-the-year nickname, SWATH) is simply an impressive piece of visual storytelling. Some of the action sequences could’ve been cleaner and clearer (too much ‘quick-cut’ editing) – but on the whole, Sanders’ scene composition and choices in photography and angling create a distinctly original style. You will know that you are watching his movie.
While the visual component is excellent, the screenplay by writers Evan Daugherty (another first-timer), Hossein Amini (Wings of the Dove, Drive), and writer/director John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, The Alamo) is less impressive. On the one hand, the classic Snow White fairy tale is cleverly spun into a modern adventure epic, with all the familiar elements – the dwarves, the handsome prince, the evil queen, the mirror, the apple, etc. – being given useful functions within the narrative. On the other hand, the story is rushed, the characters are (for the most part) thin and underdeveloped, while story beats meant to convey character personality and/or development don’t hit with the impact they are meant to, or are simply ill-conceived.
A great example of these narrative miscues can be seen in the character of Ravenna, who is all screaming evil three-quarters of the time (the role must’ve been hell on Theron’s vocal chords), but is given awkward and cumbersome “humanizing moments” that never really hit the mark, and come off as random rather than insightful. It leaves Theron’s performance stranded in the realm of an over-the-top caricature – one who seems bi-polar (instead of sympathetic or complex) in the moments where she suddenly gets all tragic and weepy.
Ravenna (Charlize Theron) and her magic mirror
Hemsworth and Stewart both do fine in their leading roles – but again, a lot of the moments that are meant to endear us to their respective characters, or allure us with a “Will they, won’t they?” romantic undercurrent, simply fall flat or are missed entirely. The Huntsman (think Thor with a Scottish brogue) has a character arc that, while conveyed effectively by Hemsworth, feels muted and distant in face of the larger narrative. Snow’s arc is never really clear, or engaging, as Stewart is pretty much tasked with running from place to place looking wild-eyed and panic-stricken, until an unearned third-act turnaround sees her fitted in a suit of armor, running through flames waving a sword (all of which she handles well enough). By the end, we don’t get much resolution to the main character arcs, and some big plot threads are left dangling in favor of an inevitable sequel. In fact, SWATH pretty much feels like a first chapter rather than a complete story, which is a slightly frustrating approach to a fairy tale.
The supporting characters are rendered well – especially the troupe of talented character actors who are flawlessly transformed into the famous band of dwarves that aid Snow White. Here The Dwarves are re-imagined as the last of a once-noble people, now reduced to crass-talking, violent bandits and comedic relief. The chemistry between the dwarf ensemble - Ian McShane (Deadwood), Toby Jones (Captain America), Bob Hoskins (Roger Rabbit), Ray Winstone (The Departed), Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz), Johnny Harris (Black Death), and Eddie Marsan (Sherlock Holmes) – is a high point of the film, and some of the best lines and scenes are wholly owned by them. Rounding out the crew are Ravenna’s brother, Finn (portrayed with creepy menace by Sam Spruell) and William, the young boy from Snow’s past who grows into a rapid-firing warrior archer (and a third-wheel suitor for Snow’s hand).
The Dwarves in 'Snow White and the Huntsman'
All of the understated romantic drama is ultimately wasted (one of those ‘dangling threads’ I mentioned), and there will inevitably be some people who insist that Stewart is a failure, thanks to the cursed mark (fair or not) of her Twilight persona. (There will also be those who crack wise about how there is no question of ‘who is fairest’ when comparing Stewart to Theron.) For my part, I don’t think Stewart’s presence detracts that much from the movie; overall, the entire cast is strong – though the script they are working from often is not.
In the end, SWATH is an impressive debut for Sanders; another great performance from Theron; yet another breakout action role for Hemsworth; a better heroine for Stewart to be playing, and an entertaining, visually stimulating (but ultimately hollow) summer movie experience.
For an in-depth discussion of the film by the Screen Rant team check out our Snow White and the Huntsman episode of the SR Underground podcast.
Snow White and the Huntsman is now playing in theaters everywhere. It is Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, action, and brief sensuality.
Loading ...Our Rating:
3 out of 5
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This was 3.5, now it’s just 3. Why the change of heart?
this flick is enjoyable btw, leave your brain at home tho.
I want my money back. The directing and the cinematography were amazing, everything else…..blah. I literally feel asleep 3 times while watching this movie,i went to go see it at 3:00pm. That should tell you allot. I was so amped for this movie but I was hoping for the best. All I got was Stewart looking like a deer in head lights and breathing erratically for no apparent reason (I’ve noticed this is something she does allot do to see it done her for seemingly no reason tells be she believes this its done form of acting). The characters were cardboard, which isn’t the way you want the characters who’s life your putting in the balance for dramatic purposes to be, the result getting no on cares if they die out love
of course Kristen was breathing erratically, she had just escaped and was in the dark forest (she was running a lot, do u breathe normally after running?), not to mention she was having a bit of a panic attack in the forest – which is something that happened in the ‘original’ disney version: snow freaks out and passes out in the dark forest. Now, i have no problem with Kristen in this film, she was surprisingly good, (not amazing, but good enough), her accent was good (guess rob helped with that!), and i love Charlize, and the Chris, but Charlize on her own was not awesome either, she fell flat in the middle of the movie. was it a perfect movie? nope, but that’s because of the script, not the acting or directing : whoever wrote it, didn’t write much. but overall 4 out of 5, way better than Dark Shadows, Battleship, and What to expect…oviously not as good as the avengers
The Disney version was not original….
I do too. What a disappointment. Kristin Stewart was awful. Completely unconvincing. We were supposed to believe William was MADLY in love with Snow White even thought we only saw 2 seconds of him in the beginning of the movie. It was never explained that the Huntsman was really a prince. He basically takes a swig of his drink and voila, brings Stewart out of her 2 hour nap–no hubbub about why he is “the one” to bring her out of slumber. This movie looked so promising. Could have been amazing. Not to mention that Charlize Theron was hands down, the Fairest of them all.
I agree with much of the review with the notable exception of its reference to Stewart as doing fine in her role. I found her portrayal of the character to be a bomb that all but destroyed every scene in which she appeared.
It is truly unfortunate that what could otherwise have been an enjoyable spin on a classic story, was ruined by one actress.
I agree with the review. Great cast and acting, very impressive visually, but it was pretty clunky in places, as far as the plot development and exposition. And the romantic element was not clearly borne out, and the big “fulfillment of destiny” ending seemed pretty forced. It was supposed to feel really epic, but something was missing.
Ah poor KStew. She may have not detracted from the movie but if you aren’t an asset, then you could be considered a detriment to the picture.
It’s unfortunate all she seems to be able to pull off is the angsty and helpless waif role.
I agree! The movie was good for the most part, though the ending point was extremely disappointing. The story feels like it wasn’t finished or has not reaching a closing point. I almost want to say sequel, but I dunno. Chris Hemsworth did and amazing job as always and over all the movie was good and I will probably buy it.
If I had to choose a just a word to describe this movie, it would be BORING, if I had the chance to use a handfull of words, I´d still go for BOOOORING.
Booooring = 1 word (kinda)aka not a handful
The essence of Grimm; dark, cold, bold CGI graphics bring an archetype back to life. In Old Days, Parents told a story from memory; a flicker of candle light on scary tales. Bad things happen to kids & adults, candles keep evil away. Edison changed that; Disney made it worse. Tales are edited now; brushed, & swept clean of fear. Ogres never grow into Monsters; Monsters are too close to life in the press or on late night news. Anxious parents take fearless children & drag them off—whining or screaming with tantrums—to “The Happiest Place on Earth.” Reflect on what’s wrong with stories now: fairy tales are too clean & hold to delusions about a child’s “best interests.” These days, “best interests” are served in clean bowls of sugar-saturated tales–brought to you by a big cereal company. This movie brings back an old way to tell a story. This story has as good & bad points. So grab some Zen, go watch it, & beware; you will experience something better than Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.
This movie could have been better if someone else played Snow White!
Kristen Stewart can play more than the waif role. Check out “The Runaways” where she plays a pretty convincing Joan Jett, or “Panic Room” as Jodie Foster’s daughter. She’s going to have a hard time proving herself after Twilight.
I think would be even more interesting and really out of box take on snow white & hUntsman would have been if they do an modern version of snow white. And set it in modern day England.
best movie ever!
if only Keira Knightley would have played snow white then it would put up somewhat a real challenge to the evil queen Charlize Theron.
Keira Knightley? You turn her sideways and she disappears! Not a real challenge IMO.
Charlie Theron is too pretty to play the wicked witch! I Womder how the movie will be?
All the Kristen Stewart hate and I am not sure why. Oh, wait. Twilight. Some of you guys will hate her for that reason alone from now till the end of her career.
She was very good in this film. I am afraid there are too many out there who hate her due to twilight and that may hurt this movie somewhat. All I can say is dont let Twilight determine whether or not you see this movie. Its pretty good.
Nooope. Sorry. You are in the minority. Kristen failed terribly in this role. Real shame too. I had no preconceived notions about her or her ability, even after watching a Twighlight film–which I actually enjoyed. She bored me to tears in this film and it actually made me mad to know the amounts of money she was probably paid for this sham of an acting job. She is a one note wonder.
Couldn’t agree more. She’s not even acting, man. She’s just staring depressingly around her, with that mouth half-open. All I was staring at the entire movie were those 2 front teeth.. ffs.
I think I can say that I hate her, as an actress. I’m sure she’s a lovely person in real life…. but I hate her as an actress. Ugh..
Wow this movie was bad.
The hunstman gets beaten up by a troll, and it looks at Snow White then walks away. Ok now myself I’d be like WTF why did that troll just walk away ? Magic ?
Never really explained. Maybe Snow White smells bad after being locked in the tower forever ?
As the reviewer stated all Charlize Theron does is rageaholic. Shrieking and screaming. I was cracking up and laughing throughout this movie it was so fkn corny.
I was very happy when it ended.
This movie is alright, but could’ve been much better if the emotionless, depressing Kirsten Stewart wasn’t the lead actress. What a horrible actress that is. She has that same, stupid look through the entire movie that she had in Twilight. Ugh. She is so horrible!
As for the plot? Bad. The movie at some points more than hints at the idea that nature blesses Snow White — or shows that its on her side. The least I expected was some forest trolls and other beasts coming to her aid in the last battle.
Also, Snow White was referred to as “life itself” and “spirited”. Again, this was the LEAST of characteristics I would give Snow White due to that horrible, dead expression Stewart painted on the character. Last but not least: Snow White managed to calm an aggressive troll with her fair presence… yet in the end she orders an army into battle and she’s leading the charge, with sword high and a constant battleshout. That’s not Snow White. That cannot be Snow White. What a failure.
“The least I expected” had to be “AT least I expected”.
I didn’t much care for this film. The visuals and cinematography were excellent, the acting was mostly ok (except for a couple of weirdly awkward moments with Kristen Stewart), but the story was fairly rambling and dull. Not an engaging film.
I actually think that they didn’t give KS enough lines for her to know what her own character was about–she was the only one that didn’t really have a back-story or motivation, it seemed, besides that she was the “light” contrasting Ravenna’s “darkness”. So she did nothing. She ran when told to, and fought when told to, and did a decent job. Then they told her she’d have no lines at (insert point here) and convey her thoughts with her face, and she was like–well, convey what? Because her character’s motivation isn’t clear. That’s lazy, to rely on the audience knowing she was sweet and pure and good–show us. Don’t just tell us, hint at why fae creatures like her, at what Ravenna fears (and what Snow has seen that the Queen sees, would be nice). Was her mother a sorceress to have the power to wish for a magical child with her qualities? Then why did she die? If not, then why is Snow life itself, and what does that mean?
The writing wasn’t great. Lines seemed to go nowhere. The Huntsman has eyes but does not see? I do not see. What is Snow’s power? I don’t want to be spoon-fed but I do want hints, not just as to what but why.
And while I like that the ending didn’t show Snow relying on a man, if you think about it, they already showed that she did by requiring a kiss to save her. So you might as well give a tiny hint of resolution, or at least a hope of one, rather than just having her stare blankly at the Huntsman (whose name is never said) as he seems to leave at the end.
Snow is the queen now. The end…without even a hint as to what happens next, or a sign that new hope fills the people, that life returns to the kingdom, or that Snow’s reign might have any effects on the surrounding lands.
This movie is so cool looking but the way it ends makes you feel like everything that happened ultimately doesn’t matter. So what, seems to be the ending theme. And that upsets me. I so looked forward to this, and so much talent and opportunity and nice cgi was wasted. A movie should, to echo others, be able to stand on its own, without a sequel to fill in the blanks. But while I will likely end up owning this movie someday and don’t regret watching it, I cannot love it as I’d hoped to.
Please – this movie was well above par, save the ending. I thought Kristen Stewart did well – she is a method actor and all her movie actions are a result from her being held captive in the tower for years. Seriously, if you want to see a bad move- Dark Shadows is still playing. Blah Blah Blah.
I also think the tweaking of the story is to blame for many of the flaws of this film. First off, there isn’t enough emphasis on the characters themselves, the film spends way too much time showing up the pretty images conjured by the CG department. The enchanted forest is beautiful but has no other purpose than to anoint Snow as the nature approved ruler.
You get how the director wanted to make this an epic but he missed the point of the Snow White story. Fairy tales were intended to be morality tales, and Snow white cautions against judging by appearances. It is the misshapen outcasts who help Snow White (The prince is just her reward!) The huntsman has no purpose in this tale other than reforming his own character and concluding his own arc and also making Snow a warrior Queen of sorts.
The movie tries to present itself à la girl power but strangely isn’t succeeding with its girly butter wouldn’t melt in my mouth heroine turning warrior queen. It’s just lip service, that’s why. It’s ironic that while that Snow White must be made a fighter if she is to pass the girl power test, but that again is just a girl only being recognized for her worth by measuring herself by men’s yardstick. Once again, the script is missing the point.
Because the film pays so much attention on the surface of things, trying to give us an epic with battles, trying to give us a tough heroine, trying to present the story of Snow White’s purity and beauty, giving us the huntsman with just the right degree of humour and enough of a sob story, giving us an evil corrupt queen but trying to imbue us with the visions of the little girl inside, but eventually spending so much time on visuals and the like, that this film, though entertaining fails at everything but what it really has its heart on: the visual telling of a story. A bad story, but great visuals.
the best movie i’d ever seen!!!!!!!!!!
i love you kristen stewart -from philippines!!!
Comments: spoiler alert
-I wanted to see more of the troll, not just a cameo appearance. He could have thrown a few rocks at the evil Queen’s minions.
-I wanted the white horse to escape from the mud; why was he there waiting for Snow White anyway? Was he a magic horse? Did he get away and turn into butterflies?
-Why was Snow White suddenly in the forest in winter out in the open instead of hiding and when she meets her childhood friend (the queen in disguise) why doesn’t the queen just stab Snow White and be done with it instead of giving her the apple? It’s the Dr. Evil way of killing someone with all that delay (not that I wanted Snow White to be stabbed).
-And then the Queen faces Snow White again and instead of killing her stands in the fire and monologues; I want a good reason for delay; she tries to stab Snow White and trips on her gown or she gives Snow White the apple because it is prophesized that that is how she must die.
Just saw this movie 2 nights ago, and I thought it was pretty good. Acting was pretty good. Chris and Charlize were great, and Kristen was OK. Nothing incredible, but she wasn’t too bad either. Visuals were incredible. And I thought the story was pretty good too. A few plot holes and a somewhat underwhelming ending, but overall a good movie.
Was so looking forward to this movie and it literally disappointed me. The movie was ok. Have seen way worse. Lot of her time was spent running and that caused me to dose off several times. They could have cut the movie down by 30-35 minutes and still have had an effective movie if not better. Not every movie has to be 2 hours or over to get a story across. Some under 2 hour movies can be great movies also.
I went to see Snow White and the Huntsman last night , and really enjoyed it..
The people questioning some of the things like why was the white horse there, and Snow White being able to calm the monster?( not sure what else to call it- the thing in the forest-lol)…um- it is a’fairy tale’- eg fantasy..why does everything have to have a logical explanation?
Also the people that have said Charlize Theron is too pretty to play the Evil Queen…it is obviously showing that beauty can be only skin deep…she wasn’t ‘beautiful’ as a person ( the Evil queen, not Charlize Theron-lol)
I get the impression from the review and some comments this movie falls into the category of an average hollywood cgi-fest with lame writing.
Big money slick visuals just don’t do it for me any more. Ive watched too many great low budget movies with stellar acting to blow money on sheer eye candy.
This will be a “catch it on cable by accident when Im bored on Sunday” type of thing.