How many times can a story be told before it runs completely dry? I am inclined to believe as long as there are artists, there will be endless ways to re-tell old stories, even if that means revisiting the original source for most of your inspiration. "Snow White and the Huntsman" does just that, going back to the original fairy tale to provide a more refreshing take on the classic story.
The story of Snow White is well known; a few elements exist no matter what telling of the story you're hearing: an evil queen commands her magic mirror to tell her who the fairest maiden in all the land is, to which the mirror responds "Snow White." This prompts the Queen to send a huntsman to kill Snow White and bring back her heart.
In director Rupert Sanders' update of the classic tale, these elements exist, though they all get a slick gothic upgrade. The mirror in "Snow White and the Huntsman" molds itself into a liquid man that resembles the bad robot from "Terminator 2," the Evil Queen is played by Charlize Theron and can morph into a group of ravens and Kristen Stewart plays the part of Snow White, who is considerably more grungy and raw than in conventional telling of the story.
I appreciate the lengths to which Sanders goes in an attempt to create the gothic atmosphere which better represents the original Brothers Grimm fairy tale. Many of the creatures and sets look pretty incredible. In particular, the Dark Forest seems much more frightening and intimidating in Sanders' version.
I think this edgier take on the story appears refreshing after most popularized versions have a much purer take on the story; obviously the Disney cartoon comes quickly to mind. Sanders paints his world in a swirl of grays and dark blues, never letting us forget the grim place we are visiting.
"Snow White and the Huntsman" starts out very strong with a brisk telling and a strong flashback. The opening battle sequences are promising and the visuals draw you in. I thought for awhile this would be one of the better fantasy pieces I've seen in a few years. Instead the film became muddled, lost in a sea of not quite fully developed characters, slouching towards a conclusion we already knew was coming.
I would think starting with a story so well known would be an advantage. You may not have to spend so much time setting up each event as the audience already knows what to expect. Instead "Snow White and the Huntsman" spends a superfluous amount of time justifying its events. We receive three pieces of validation that Snow White is destined to overthrow the Queen when one would have sufficed.
What this does is cause the Queen, Snow White, the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) and Prince William (Sam Claflin) to become underdeveloped and singularly motivated. Rather than receiving interesting information on each, we receive some information on the Queen and then just know what we need about the rest of the characters for the plot to make sense. I think for this to truly be a new telling of Snow White, some characters should step out of their fairy tale conventions and become more interesting, dynamic characters.
The plot also drags in parts due to the poor pacing of the film. After the opening we slog into the captive Snow White escaping, then move to a great chase through the Dark Forest only to move on to a boring 45 minutes to an hour of the film where we only set up the rebellion we knew was happening.
In many ways, I appreciated "Snow White and the Huntsman." I'm a fan of gothic fantasy and thought this film had the visuals lined up to be a great film, but instead the movie never pushed the envelope to separate and create an interesting story.
If you're going to make a two hour-plus film about a story we know well, you need to provide enough interesting elements to keep the audience engaged with the story. Visually, "Snow White and the Huntsman" accomplishes this and I think early on the story is engaging, but the film staggers in the middle and can't quite recover in the end, despite some more engaging battle sequences. "Snow White and the Huntsman" is almost there and is worth a watch - you just may want wait to rent it in a few months.
"Snow White and the Huntsman" receives a 6/10.
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