Once upon a time, the beautiful princess lay in wait for her handsome prince to come rescue her.
That was then, this is now…
SNOW WHITE & THE HUNTSMAN tells the tale of a stunning woman named Ravenna (Charlize Theron) who connived a king into marrying her. In short order, the king married the beautiful stranger, only to be killed by her magic on the very night of their wedding. She followed that, by locking up the king’s young daughter Snow White as prisoner in a castle tower. Now a queen of a powerful kingdom, Ravenna held fast to both her throne and her beauty. That is until Snow White approached her 18th birthday, and became a threat to her being fairest of them all.
Ravenna summons her guards to bring her the now-grown-up Snow White (Kristen Stewart), however Snow eludes her would-be garrison and manages to escape from the entire kingdom. She runs so far in fact, that she finds herself in the macabre Dark Forest where Ravenna’s magic is useless.
Wanting her prisoner retrieved, and now having lost faith in her soldiers, Ravenna has a Huntsman named Eric (Chris Hemsworth) brought to her. She coerces him to find Snow White, and find her he does. However, upon their meeting, the fugitive princess points out to The Huntsman that The Queen is playing him, and will surely welch on her part of the bargain. At that point, The Huntsman turns on Ravenna’s guards that have come with him into The Dark Forest…turning his attention instead to helping Snow White, and trying to overthrow the clearly evil queen.
Something feels out of joint with the storytelling in SNOW WHITE & THE HUNTSMAN. Because the tale it chooses to tell is a story we all learn at an early age, anybody coming into this film over the age of seven can pick out what has changed. Curiously, what has changed is quit a bit, and at the same time not enough. It’s like listening to a cover song that isn’t being sung note for note but is also not a radical re-arrangement.
The new details begin by weaving themselves in and out: the prince’s role is downplayed, the huntsman’s role increased, and the dwarves almost sidelined. It’s all subtle enough that we play along. Then, for the final act, the film decides to go somewhere radically different. Suddenly, Snow White steps up like she has just finished reading Henry V and rallies the subjects to take on the queen. A character who has spent three-quarters of the film running the other way suddenly digs in to take a stand, and it comes off unbelievable.
Had Snow been a scrapper from the start – feisty, defiant, empowered – this act of aggression would stand. She isn’t though. She has been locked up for nine or ten years, and has been more or less a model prisoner in that time. She escapes without much incident, and even when The Huntsman catches up with her, her act of defiance is only to factually undermine her would-be regal captor. She still hasn’t started fighting.
What SNOW WHITE & THE HUNTSMAN wants to do, is make this would-be Xena less of a princess and more of a warrior. However, the transformation isn’t earned. Snow wakes up from her mystical power-nap and suddenly decides it’s time to strap on the armour and pick up a sword. Well, what took you so long princess? Your stepmom locked you up for half your life, sent Thor to cut out your heart, and then served you outcoded produce to get her way. Now you think it’s time to do something about it? Perhaps if the response to all of this villainy had been more measured, I still would have gone for it…but gathering the cavalry and storming the gates feels like a disproportionate response.
Making all of that just that much worse, is that Kristen Stewart doesn’t bring the sand to pull off this sort of empowerment. The problem for Stewart is that she is trying to play up her strength in the midst of a lot of other actresses playing up real strength. The will and fortitude that they have shown us in recent months are fresh in our brains, so it’s easy to pick out women who we can lump in with them, and the ones who come up wanting. I have no specific aversion to Kristen Stewart’s acting abilities (I actually believe this is more a writing and directing problem), but in thinking about her roles that I did like, her turn as Snow White comes up short.
The real shame is that the narrative mess takes away from what turns out to be a visually stunning film. Everything about Ravenna comes with a gothic elegance – from her crown, to her ability to dissipate into crows, to her emerging from a bath of milk. The metallic ghost that serves as the magic mirror is both haunting and intoxicating. Perhaps what’s greatest of all is stumbling into the Dark Forest, and realizing that it’s even more disturbing than the nightmares all those cartoons caused us to have as children. The film comes off like the most wonderfully illustrated storybook coming to life…why it chose to screw around with the stork that book was telling, I couldn’t say.
SNOW WHITE & THE HUNTSMEN would have been a miss all by itself, but what won’t help it is all the similar material out there to compare it to. Viewers like me find it pretty flat as it is; standing it next to its contemporaries doesn’t help matters. While I’d wager it will be a very long time before we ever see another Snow White interpretation, I am interested in seeing a version where Snow is more comfortable with a sword than she is singing harmony to woodland creatures…but if the writing makes that swordplay feel forced, she might as well keep singin’.
19 comments
Nikhat says:
Jun 14, 2012
It was so unsatisfying. I mean it had the potential of being really brilliant I felt, but it just failed to deliver. I am liking this film less and less the more I think about it, but as you said, compared to its contemporaries, it’s still not half-bad. It looked great, despite heavily borrowing from everywhere really. Really liked Hemsworth and Theron, but was pissed off at the lost opportunity of creating magic with a character like Ravenna. Also I felt that the film still complimented KStew’s Snow, but it just went downhill in that last act. Also I nearly jumped out of my seat when I saw people like Nick Frost among the dwarves (pretty sure I was the only person in the audience who knew who he was), but these dwarves were just there. As much as I commend the film for trying to be different, the fact that it doesn’t go through with it and wastes an opportunity like this- that is just bugging.
Also I saw it with apparently the stupidest audience possible. Indian Youth -.-
Ryan McNeil says:
Jun 14, 2012
Potential is just the word I was looking for.
I’d *love* to see a film where Snow’s imprisonment causes her to go all “Sarah Connor”, a story where she’s a force to be reckoned with the moment she gets out of that tower. Thing is with two Snow White films this year (and “Once Upon a Time” and “Grimm” on TV), that movie ain’t coming anytime soon.
Yeah, I got a huge grin when Frost, Marsan, Toby Jones etc showed up as the dwarves too (and the special effects on them was one more visual trick the film executed well)…but why go to all that effort and bring in all of that talent for peripheral characters?
Such a mess.
Kristin says:
Jun 14, 2012
Excellent review, Ryan! Good points made – especially having a difficult time believing that the princess is suddenly fierce and caring. And I would FULLY agree that it’s more of a writing issue than an acting one, even with Kristen Stewart. Although I will admit that I don’t care much for her acting either.
I was bummed out – I hate it when a trailer makes a movie look great and it’s average at best.
Ryan McNeil says:
Jun 14, 2012
After the dust settled, it dawned on me that the best course of action would have been for MIRROR MIRROR to have cast Charlize instead of Julia. That would have made everything nice and neat.
Rachel says:
Jun 14, 2012
Truth be told, I didn’t have high hopes for it, so I wasn’t terribly disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to see it, but something in the back of my mind kept saying “This isn’t as epic as the trailer makes it look, so don’t be fooled.” It was about 20 minutes too long, needed to utilize the dwarfs better (or get rid of them altogether), and have a stand in for KStew during her “rally the troops” speech. Poor girl just couldn’t pull that one off. And was it just me or did that very last scene peter out?
Overall, I didn’t think it was terrible, but I have no need to ever see it again.
Ryan McNeil says:
Jun 14, 2012
Good point – I too found myself wondering why the film even bothered to bring in the dwarves. I mean, if you’re going to drop them from the title, why not drop them out completely?
Even with guarded expectations, I still came away befuddled. I mean, I always sit down hoping to enjoy a film – and sometimes films I don’t expect to enjoy give me the best experiences since they over-deliver. Too bad this story couldn’t seem to get any sort of traction. Every great moment was immediately followed by something dull.
Man, that was a terribly written speech wasn’t it? They don’t all have to be “They may take our lives…”, but give the woman something better than that.
PS – I’m declaring jihad on all unnecessary love triangles. Pass it on.
Peter says:
Jun 14, 2012
The film is pretty mediocre. While I appreciate what the filmmaker is trying to do, the movie has some ambition and it looks good, the script is really unfocused and it meanders a lot. As a result the movie is quite dull at times.
I like Kristen Stewart as an actress (I have not watch any of her Twilight movies though), but she is really miscast here. Especially when she goes Joan Of Arc in the end, by giving a speech with no conviction. I have to hold my laughter during that scene.
Ryan McNeil says:
Jun 14, 2012
I’m with you in not having the Stewart venom that so many seem to disperse (have we forgotten PANIC ROOM?).
I think the writers of this film (all four of ‘em) should have spent a year consuming copious quantities of Buffy episodes as research. Maybe then they’d be able to write a heroine with some balls.
…well not with…I mean…oh nevermind.
ruth says:
Jun 14, 2012
I give ‘em props for trying out something different w/ this fairy tale, but they did themselves a disservice by hiring Kristen Stewart as Snow White!!
Unlike you, I think she is the major issue why this movie doesn’t work for me. Yes the writing/plot is bad, but it still could’ve been a better film had we believe her in the role. I was prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt after Twilight, but after this, not a chance.
Ryan McNeil says:
Jun 15, 2012
In my head I tried subbing in other actresses (Saorise Ronan, Abbie Cornish) and couldn’t come up with one who would have elevated the part. Oh well, maybe she’ll surprise us and do something good with ON THE ROAD.
Fernando Quintero says:
Jun 17, 2012
Great review, Ryan! I had similar reactions to this one. I thought the visuals were stunnning, but the writing and acting were terrible. I couldn’t believe the transition that Snow White goes through. Fast and unconvincing.
Ryan McNeil says:
Jun 18, 2012
Did you see MIRROR MIRROR? How did that stack up for you? Better/worse?
Fernando Quintero says:
Jun 18, 2012
I actually didn’t see that one. The trailer was awful, but as it opened, it got mixed to positive reviews and I couldn’t believe it! However, they only showed it dubbed in Spanish over here, so I didn’t watch it. I’ll rent it later.
Ryan McNeil says:
Jun 19, 2012
It’s still flawed, but it works as a whole better than SW&TH does because it has a clearer vision in mind: Especially where the empowerment of Snow is concerned.
Grab it on blu-ray (it’ll look splendid!) and do a post about your thoughts on it.
Fernando Quintero says:
Jun 19, 2012
I don’t own a Blu-Ray player
haha but I’ll definitely rent it on DVD when it’s available! At least it will be much more fun than SWATH.
Sam McCosh says:
Jun 21, 2012
Nice review Ryan. I wish they had taken the dark fantasy elements and run with it in that direction more. I found it dull and rather lacklustre overall.
Ryan McNeil says:
Jun 27, 2012
Apologies for not responding sooner, Sam.
You touch on something I hadn’t thought of: The filmmakers squandered the chance to make this the dark & violent Snow White. We already knew that she’d be taking up a sword – why play up the bloodiness of the story (it’s a tale where the villain wants the heroine’s heart after all, right?).
The darkness that was hinted at with the way the forest comes alive could have underlined all of that too.
Such a pity.
Andrew says:
Jun 25, 2012
The big problem with this movie: it draaaaaaags. Seriously, this thing spins its wheels with a bizarre sort of zeal, just grinding away with useless, contextless stuff that doesn’t mean anything or direct the movie in any substantive direction. With 15-20 minutes cut across the course of its three acts, I think this could have been a solid if somewhat unmemorable entry in the summer, but good grief, it’s just too long.
Stewart’s also kind of an energy vacuum. She reads a battle speech well, she’s very, very pretty, and she shows slightly more range here than in Twilight– but she’s still terrible. It’s a kindness that she has Hemsworth and Theron to hold her up when necessary, but Stewart is exactly the wrong kind of actress to put in a suit of armor and send charging into battle.
Ryan McNeil says:
Jun 27, 2012
I’ll be really curious to see what comes of Stewart as we move forward and she can shed that role that has defined her to date.
If I’m her agent, I start casting her in some *super* light roles to show that she can do more than sulk.
I wasn’t sure if I was the only person who thought it dragged – I just chalked that up to being a little tired at showtime. But the more I think back on it, the more I think that a faery tale retelling has no business lagging.