Review of Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) by Blake P — 16 Jun 2013

There are definitely flaws in "Snow White and the Huntsman," yet I found myself forgiving nearly every one of them. Why? Unlike most summer blockbusters, there is a brain inside the film's head. It isn't all about mindless action sequences or CGI galore-- it's instead a well-thought out, darkened variation on the Snow White fairytale that puts so much focus on the cinematography and style that it's artistic. Had the film not had Kristen Stewart (who isn't as bad as many make her out to be), "Snow White and the Huntsman" may have been better received. Either way, it's a popcorn movie for those who don't like the genericness of popcorn movies.

The story resembles the common Snow White story, but takes a more blackened turn. The evil Queen is even more wicked, in the shape of Ravenna (Charlize Theron), who is so taken with herself and obsessed with youth that she believes the only people who can tell her she's beautiful is her mama's boy (or, in this case, sister's boy) brother (Sam Spruell), and her magical, speaking mirror.

Ravenna, however, isn't just a Queen because we're supposed to believe it. By sucking the life out of young pretties, thus aiding her endless agelessness, she has gone around kingdom to kingdom, marrying the Kings and then killing them, so she can have the throne all to herself. She runs into a bit of a dilemma when she does the usual murder routine to King Magnus (Noah Huntley): he already has a young daughter, Snow White (Raffey Cassidy).

Of course, the psychopathic Queen locks Snow up in a Sleeping Beauty fashion, and resumes her power. Years later, when Snow White (Kristen Stewart) is young woman, Ravenna is shocked when her mirror informs her that she no longer is the fairest of them all: the fairest is now Snow White.

Coincidentally, when Ravenna sets out to kill Snow, the latter ends up escaping from her awful imprisonment. The Queen isn't going to go down without a fight, though-- she hires a skilled Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth), to find the young woman, with her knights in shining armor in tow.

From start to finish, "Snow White and the Huntsman" is downright entertaining. Is it preposterous? Yes. Is it campy? Yep. Is it uneven? You bet. But when you're not enjoying the lush visuals that Sanders sets every scene to, you can't help but adore Theron's (brilliant) Baby Jane style performance. For years, we've known the wholesome (and groundbreaking) Disney cartoon, and to make a film this dark and scary is a big leap; but it's a successful one.

You can't help but marvel at the Tim Burton influence, the gothic atmosphere, and the Renaissance battle scenes, all very well-done and always ringing true. Sanders obviously doesn't have the skill yet to keep a consistent tone, but there is so much texture involved in his filmmaking process that he already seems like an accomplished artist.

"Snow White and the Huntsman" is one of the most underrated movies of 2012, not necessarily because it's so amazing (it's not), but because it left theaters with a bad rep when truly it wasn't even close to a failure. Hopefully it won't spawn sequels, because this is a blockbuster that truly is one of a kind.