MOVIE OF THE WEEK (6/1/12): SNOW WHITE & THE HUNTSMAN
"Oooh girl ... I'm so about to slap whoever is behind me when I get done looking into this mirror!" Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) gazes deeply at her own reflection – and into her soul – in a scene from director Rupert Sanders' very dramatic take on the classic tale of SNOW WHITE & THE HUNTSMAN. Credit: Universal © 2012 Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, Ian McShane, Sam Spruell, Bob Hoskins, Ray Winstone, Nick Frost,Toby Jones, Eddie Marsan and Brian Gleeson
WRITER(S): Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock and Hossein Amini
DIRECTOR: Rupert Sanders
WEB SITE: www.snowwhiteandthehuntsman.com
THE PLOT: Offering a very serious, Batman Begins-like tone on a classic childhood fair tale, Snow White & The Huntsman begins by instead introducing us to a different character: Ravenna (Charlize Theron). Once a young lady, we learn that Ravenna is cursed by her mother to be beautiful following the ravaging and destruction of her native land by a king. Ravenna's curse means she will be the fairest lass in all the land forever ... Provided she [1] Always finds a way to infuse herself with the spirit of younger women and [2] No one else alive becomes more fair than her. As long as she can stick to that script, she can use her beauty to manipulate men and overtake their thrones.
And that's exactly what happens when King Magnus (Noah Huntley) meets Ravenna.. (I'm skipping a few details not to give everything away.) There's just one problem ... King Magnus has a daughter: Snow White (Kristen Stewart), who one day might just become the fairest in all the land.
Realizing her threat, Ravenna - who's never without her faithful brother Finn (Sam Spruell) by her side - hires a Huntsman named Eric (Chris Hemsworth) to capture her. Eric the Huntsman knows the Dark Forest better than anyone else, but given the personal struggles that have led him to a dark place of his own as exhibited in his constant intoxicated state.
Now, the chase is on - will the evil Queen Ravenna get what she wants? Will the Huntsman track down the pure Snow White? What will become of William (Sam Clafin), the young duke who spent his childhood days in the kingdom with a young Snow White? And just how in the world do Muir (Bob Hoskins), Gort (Ray Winstone), Duir (Eddie Marsan), Coll (Toby Jones), Nion (Nick Frost), Beith (Ian MacShane), Quert (Johnny Harris) and Gus (Brian Gleeson) all fit into the picture?
You'll have to venture to a land far, far away to find out!
And that's exactly what happens when King Magnus (Noah Huntley) meets Ravenna.. (I'm skipping a few details not to give everything away.) There's just one problem ... King Magnus has a daughter: Snow White (Kristen Stewart), who one day might just become the fairest in all the land.
Realizing her threat, Ravenna - who's never without her faithful brother Finn (Sam Spruell) by her side - hires a Huntsman named Eric (Chris Hemsworth) to capture her. Eric the Huntsman knows the Dark Forest better than anyone else, but given the personal struggles that have led him to a dark place of his own as exhibited in his constant intoxicated state.
Now, the chase is on - will the evil Queen Ravenna get what she wants? Will the Huntsman track down the pure Snow White? What will become of William (Sam Clafin), the young duke who spent his childhood days in the kingdom with a young Snow White? And just how in the world do Muir (Bob Hoskins), Gort (Ray Winstone), Duir (Eddie Marsan), Coll (Toby Jones), Nion (Nick Frost), Beith (Ian MacShane), Quert (Johnny Harris) and Gus (Brian Gleeson) all fit into the picture?
You'll have to venture to a land far, far away to find out!
THE TAKE: During the 1980s and far too long into the 1990s, superhero/movies based on fairy tales were, for the most part, hokey. The villains were over the top, had no compelling back story, were insane, rarely had any personality yet very inept; the heroes were just do gooders who either "had been pushed too far" or "had to do the right thing."
Then in the 2000s, for some reason - call it fanboy interview - a light bulb went off and Hollywood said "Hey, would it be such a bad thing if we tried to tell these stories as if they were real people living in this world and not just kid's kitsch?" And in the case of the film with the marketing campaign of "This ain't no fairy tale," Snow White & The Huntsman proves just how good a film can be when everyone involved treats its subject matter with reverence, seriousness and respect for both the source material and the audience watching it.
First things first, Theron shows why she can take any role and make it worthy of award consideration as her depiction of Ravenna is not only everything it should be, but could be as well. The evil queen is equal parts e enchanting, threatening, menacing and yet sympathetic all at the same time under Theron's watch to the point you understand the motivation behind all of her actions, making her on screen presence an undeniable force whenever she is on the screen. Not to be outdone, while Sam Spruell may not be well known to American audiences, the British actor shows his mettle with a very strong performance that shows being a right hand man to a main evil character doesn't mean you can't shine in your role.
That's not to suggest the rest of the cast slacks; in fact, that's far from the case. Love her or hate her, you really can't complain about Stewart's job in portraying Snow White, a "pure" character who avoids becoming a caricature by smartly doing what's necessary to keep things moving, no more and no less. Likewise, Hemsworth pre-Avengers hero training serves him well as the Huntsman, for he can swing a weapon with the best of them and then make sure there's a brain to go with all of his character's brawn, too. Providing good balance are the inspired performances of the actors portraying the aforementioned dwarves, adding good natured, enjoyable humor while at the same time being completely believable assistance in the Huntsman and Snow White's quest.
The best thing about the movie, however, is how well director Rupert Sanders brings everything together. With Sanders at the helm, he proves the old adage of "there are no small parts, only small actors" by incorporating each character into his story well, providing a great mix of harsh, brutal visuals with extremely pleasant ones to convey the dichotomy of the situation and realities in which the characters either thrive and/or barely stay alive. The pacing is swift, the dialogue is fairly snappy and tone is consistent from start to finish. It's nearly perfect ... But then again, considering that Snow White & The Huntsman is intended to be the start of a trilogy, Sanders has plenty of time to make sure the next installment is.
Then in the 2000s, for some reason - call it fanboy interview - a light bulb went off and Hollywood said "Hey, would it be such a bad thing if we tried to tell these stories as if they were real people living in this world and not just kid's kitsch?" And in the case of the film with the marketing campaign of "This ain't no fairy tale," Snow White & The Huntsman proves just how good a film can be when everyone involved treats its subject matter with reverence, seriousness and respect for both the source material and the audience watching it.
First things first, Theron shows why she can take any role and make it worthy of award consideration as her depiction of Ravenna is not only everything it should be, but could be as well. The evil queen is equal parts e enchanting, threatening, menacing and yet sympathetic all at the same time under Theron's watch to the point you understand the motivation behind all of her actions, making her on screen presence an undeniable force whenever she is on the screen. Not to be outdone, while Sam Spruell may not be well known to American audiences, the British actor shows his mettle with a very strong performance that shows being a right hand man to a main evil character doesn't mean you can't shine in your role.
That's not to suggest the rest of the cast slacks; in fact, that's far from the case. Love her or hate her, you really can't complain about Stewart's job in portraying Snow White, a "pure" character who avoids becoming a caricature by smartly doing what's necessary to keep things moving, no more and no less. Likewise, Hemsworth pre-Avengers hero training serves him well as the Huntsman, for he can swing a weapon with the best of them and then make sure there's a brain to go with all of his character's brawn, too. Providing good balance are the inspired performances of the actors portraying the aforementioned dwarves, adding good natured, enjoyable humor while at the same time being completely believable assistance in the Huntsman and Snow White's quest.
The best thing about the movie, however, is how well director Rupert Sanders brings everything together. With Sanders at the helm, he proves the old adage of "there are no small parts, only small actors" by incorporating each character into his story well, providing a great mix of harsh, brutal visuals with extremely pleasant ones to convey the dichotomy of the situation and realities in which the characters either thrive and/or barely stay alive. The pacing is swift, the dialogue is fairly snappy and tone is consistent from start to finish. It's nearly perfect ... But then again, considering that Snow White & The Huntsman is intended to be the start of a trilogy, Sanders has plenty of time to make sure the next installment is.
PARTING SHOT: A film that mixes in beautiful, fairy tale like visuals with strong action sequences and solid performances, Snow White & The Huntsman does what Mirror Mirror - this year's other Snow White film - failed to do: Deliver an emotional, entertaining experience that is anything but Grimm ... Except in the last name of its original creators only.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
HA! Glad to see a fairy tale style movie that you actually enjoy! Some other people I have talked to say they were dissapointed in Theron's performance and that Stewart seems high throughout the movie due to her patent 'blank look'. So I will go with my expectations in check just in case. But your review sounds like it flows well and heaven knows - I know you and you rarely seem to enjoy these types of movies. Sounds exciting and I can't wait to go see this in theaters! ~ Heather
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