Review: Snow White and the Huntsman

Lips red as blood.
Hair black as night.
Bring me your heart,
my dear, dear,
Snow White...

Snow White and the Huntsman
Directed by Rupert Sanders
Starring Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron

I've just arrived home from a brilliant day out with the uni girls; there was shopping, eating, and seven dwarves involved.

My excitement for Snow White and the Huntsman has been building ever since the photo of Kristen Stewart decked out in a full suit of armour was released, and today I finally got to see it!

The film is a twist on the Snow White fairytale, but with a more gritty, dark, mystical feel to it.The fact it is from the same producers as Alice In Wonderland is clear; the whole thing has a dream-like quality to it, and the creatures they come across in the forest (fairies, trolls) are exquisite. Visually, the film looks beautiful, with amazing uses of both darkness and sunlight to create incredible imagery, as well as stunning effects and costumes, particularly to express the powers of Queen Ravenna.

Charlize Theron, who plays Ravenna, is one of the highlights of the film.

"I will give this wretched world
the Queen
it deserves...."

Her amazing presence on screen makes her a cold hearted queen who will do anything to remain immortally beautiful and to continue her despondant reign on a land that is dying because of her. Despite this, Theron plays it in such a way that you end up feeling pretty sorry for her, as she seems to have known nothing but evil in her life. Her erratic, manic behaviour and unbearable vanity seem to portray all the very worst parts of a personality in one form, and Charlize Theron does this brilliantly.

Another personal highlight for me was Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman.

I'll be honest: the fact Chris Hemsworth was in this film certainly increased my desire to see it. Between seeing him in Home and Away years and years ago, to being Captain Kirk's father in Star Trek, to watching him turn into demi-god Thor, I'm basically infatuated! He has surprised me in that his acting ability proves he is more than just a pretty face; his drunken, emotional speech to a still Snow White was, in my opinion, the most moving scene of the entire feature, and his tall, strong frame fills the screen in the exact demeanour you would expect to see in the Huntsman. He also manages to bring a bit of humour to proceedings, as well as pulling off a rather good Scottish accent! I believe that between this and his star performance in Avengers Assemble, he will definitely become a household name.

And not forgetting, Kristen Stewart as the beautiful Snow White.

In my opinion, people give Kristen Stewart a hard time. She seems to split her audience; people either love her, or find her incredibly annoying, and I'm not sure why...
Propelled to stardom with the infamous Twilight Saga, Stewart has used her popularity to choose more indie roles since, including the likes of Adventureland (one of my favourites), The Runaways and Welcome to the Riley's, so this big budget blockbuster seems a little conventional.
However, I think Kristen Stewart deserves more credit. I think it's the character of Bella that is really annoying, not Stewart herself, and I believe she has a certain quirky, understated charm on-screen. With Snow White, she manages to bring both innocence and steely strength to the role, and her stunning features fit perfectly with those of the character.

Snow White and the Huntsman is a great watch, particularly for fans of the fantasy genre, but for some reason, it didn't wow me as much as I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, it looks amazing, is well acted, and very enjoyable (especially the brilliant seven dwarves, including Ian McShane, Ray Winstone and Nick Frost), but something wasn't quite right. It may be just because recently has been such a great time for big films, and it seemed that Snow White couldn't quite compete with the masterpieces of The Hunger Games or Avengers Assemble, but I think there were a few issues with the film itself. Despite playing their parts well, I didn't really feel much chemistry between Stewart and Hemsworth, and I also didnt find the idea of Kristen Stewart ruling an entire kingdom very believable (though she did give an uplifting speech). Another thing I was aware of was that although she was obviously facing formidable enemies, I never felt that Snow White was in any real danger; of course this may be the fault of the fairytale itself rather than this film.

Overall, I would definitely reccommend it; it's worth several watches, and does a great job on recreating such a well-known story.

Rating: 3/5

Thanks for reading!

Sophie.