Saturday, May 18, 2013

Review: Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)


Snow White and the Huntsman


The unspoken characters in this film are certainly the landscapes, locations, and scenery   They are very well thought out and well utilized. Although this is a story we all grew up with, Rupert Sanders wanted to give us more of an action/adventure film and her certainly succeeded.

The story pairs her with a Huntsman from another town to help her escape.  The magic isn't over the top in this film.  I was happy to see that when it was used, they kept it subtle.  The Mirror was one of the realistic mirrors that I have seen used. Not the melting metal dude, but just the disk.  I liked the queen Charlize Theron embodied, except when she screamed! It was so over the top and forced, it just pulled me out of the movie and made me laugh.



The cinematography is incredible and I really enjoyed the visuals.  The makeup on the queen is amazing.  Especially as she transforms from old to young and back. The scene where she comes out of the milk bath is very cool and executed perfectly. I  am not sure if it is CG or if she really did that, but it was a great visual. If it was real, it had to be some kind of paint or something.



I like that they stay true to the fact that the princess has a collection with nature and the creatures around her.  They don't take it to the cartoony level, but the subtlness is just enough.

With her being locked in the tower, it makes since that she would be as pale as snow.

While I am not a fan of the Twilight serious I did take into account the fact that her crappy character in that film was partially due to the character she was portraying as well as the the writing and directing. With
that said, I don't think she is much different in this film, her acting that is.  She stares a lot, and the only real difference is that she is doing something... kinda.  She is very helpless at the beginning and only survives with the help of the huntsman.  She actually had me concerned for her a few times.  I don't think another actress in the same situation would have given her much of a different experience... well, actually... yeah. They would have, but her constant blank stares and lack of emotion do leave much to be desired.

There is an amazing scene where the Dark forest nearly consumes her with fear.  She is blasted with what I can only imagine is some kind of neurotoxin that causes her darkest fears to comes to life. The visuals were amazing and it made me feel like I was tripping a bit! Very cool.

The bowl headed brother of the queen is an annoying character that I didn't quite understand.  I get that he's loyal because she is family, but he's just annoying to me and I don't get his motivation aside from loyalty.

I really must say that the cinematography really does make the film.  the visuals, sets, and lighting are really done well.


Ok, the fairy world is beautiful and I really do like some of the lenses used. I have to say that some of these shots truly are breathtaking.

I must say, though, I would truly be creeped out if two little naked dudes climbed out of the front of two birds and walked past mushrooms with eyeballs in them.

I did feel like I was watching a bit of Princess Mononoke with the big elk thing and the bad guys coming after it, and her. Thanks for letting me borrow your picture: Source.

Wow... This all almost makes since... They just combined the two films.

I don't get why we don't have more of a conversation about William being with these bad men?  Even just a quick argument about using them to find her. I do like the bit of a love triangle they create.

What? That is where they left off this film? Which guy does she choose? I mean, I guess we are suppose to know that the Huntsman is her true love, since that is what broke the spell, but doesn't anyone ever question why or how she woke up?  I guess in a situation like that they were just happy to have her back.  But the Huntsman seemed almost like he choose to stay on the outside and not become a King. He obviously loved her, and so did William. It is clear that she had feelings for William in the forest when she thought the queen was him, so... did she take the safe route and go with William, or is that left for the next film?

Overall, I rather enjoyed this film.  It was incredibly beautiful with incredible cinematography and they did try Charlize Theron made a great queen. She really looked the part and aside from her almost comical yelling, she was very much like Maleficent, from Sleeping Beauty in her evilness.  Maleficent, by the way, one of all time favorite female villains.
to stay away from anything TOO fantastic. I applaud them for trying to make a more realistic version of the story, but there were a few things that just sort of fell flat for me.  I almost wish they just would have made a film called the princess and the Huntsman rather than making it Snow White.  I really liked the story, how it was done,

Chris Hemsworth, also known for his role in Thor, really played a ax welding warrior really well!  Wait... Where have I seen something like this before... Humm... That's ok, it will come to me. LOL! He really takes the character to heart and knows how to make it his own. Although I didn't like Thor, I did like him, and I enjoyed watching him again in this film. He is certainly a talented actor.

That brings us to Kristen Stewart... *Stares blankly into the screen with her mouth agape while crickets chirp  So, she didn't do too bad a job, but much like her role in Twilight, she does a lot of staring with her mouth open and shows very little facial expression.  She is just kind of boring to me, even though I liked this. If the film would have been less amazing visually, and the focus more on her, she wouldn't have been able to carry it. Overall, she did do a decent job. The role seemed to call for someone that could walk around and stare at things and she does that pretty well. I think I would have liked to see her arch a little more doing the story.  She doesn't truly begin to arch until the end and even then it is very little. She rallies her people in death and only when she rises from the dead are they ready to follow her.
She should have learned to fight in the woods, but we never saw that, she should have learned to lead, but she never did, she should have learned to close her mouth... I don't mean to hate, when when you notice that, you just can't stop staring... It would make a great drinking game, but you would never see the end of the film!

I didn't like that they recon the queens motivation, making it more about a spell that was placed on her rather than her pure vanity. In the fairy tale, it is all about her being beautiful and staying eternally beautiful at any cost and Snow White is just too pretty.

Thank you for reading!  if you have any questions, or comments, please post them!  Keep watching for more reviews.  If you have any suggestions for films, please post those as well!



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