Hollywood Knights: Snow White and the Huntsman

Today I saw Snow White and the Huntsman, and I thought of it as the perfect opportunity for a review of a new film. The movie was surprisingly better than I expected, but less than I had hoped. It was supposed to be a gritty, darker version of the typical Snow White we all grew up with. I guess it basically was, but it was still much more fairytale style than I really expected. Overall, I’d say it’s worth buying when it comes out on DVD, but it’s nothing that should be considered great cinema. Also, I feel the need to avoid as many spoilers as possible – but it’s still Snow White, so many of them should pretty much already be known.

The criteria by which I will grade films will differ from many critics to better fit the point of this blog. While entertainment obviously takes precedence when talking about film, historical accuracy, costuming, and action sequences will also play major roles in my grading. The criteria are as follows:

·         Plot: Does the story make sense? Does it flow well? Is it original?

·         Cast: Are there notable actors? Do they act well? Is the dialogue good?

·         Cinematography: How does the film look? Are the special effects good?

·         Music/Sound: Is the music good? Does it fit the film? Is the audio of good quality?

·         Historical Accuracy: Is the film realistic? Were events portrayed correctly? There shouldn’t be much nit-picking here.

·         Costuming: Are the costumes historically likely? Do they reflect the characters well? Do they look good?

·         Action: Are the fights well choreographed? Do they capture the spirit of historical combat?

·         Overall: The average score for the film.

Plot: 6/10

While it ultimately comes down to the same-old Snow White we have always known, this film packs enough differences and twists into the story to feel pretty fresh. The film begins with filling in the back-story of Snow White, which I don’t recall in any version I’ve seen or read. We are shown how Snow White lost her parents and came under the control of the wicked Queen Ravenna. In this version, Snow White grows up in a prison cell in the Queen’s castle. When the Queen finally utters the fateful line “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” the story is off and rolling. The Queen is revealed to be a little Bathory-esque, in that she remains youthful by stealing the youth from beautiful young girls. She decides that she needs Snow White’s heart.

Luckily for Snow White, she escapes and flees into the Black Forest. Ravenna sends the Huntsman (that’s his name, his character doesn’t have a given name. I’ll use Thor.) after her. When he finds Snow White, he is convinced to help her escape to the castle of the good Duke Hammond. While fleeing, they eventually meet up with the motley seven dwarves, and ultimately, Snow White’s childhood friend William. Snow White eventually eats the poisoned apple and is brought, lifeless, to the Duke’s castle.

William (billed early on as “The Prince”) tries and fails to kiss Snow White back to life, and eventually Thor does the deed (spawning the question: are you team William or team Thor?). Snow White delivers her “stirring” speech to the Duke’s men and then they’re all off to storm the castle. Eventually, it all comes down to a duel between the comically bad fighter Snow White and the incredibly over-powered Ravenna. But of course Snow White wins and becomes Queen and everyone lives happily-ever-after. Except for maybe William, who doesn’t get the girl.

Cast: 7/10

This was a very difficult cast to grade. On the one hand, they have undeniable star-power. On the other… they have Kristen Stewart (Twilight) as the eponymous character. I’m going to take a lot of heat from the twihards out there, but this girl just cannot act. I like to say she lives her life with only two emotions: “pouty” and “more-pouty.” As such, moments such as her “stirring” speech, her “excitement” in battle, her “happiness” in fairy world, her “fear” of a troll – they all look and sound exactly the same. Good writing lifted Stewart up, making this character relatively worthwhile. This is their one weakness in the film: their choice of lead actress.

Charlize Theron (Monster) on the other hand, is delightfully unhinged as Queen Ravenna. We are introduced to the cause of Ravenna’s psychosis, and Theron crafts a character around that that is despicable yet sympathetic. We can’t help but feel a little sorry for her. When considering cinematic psychopaths of the 21^st century, we had Commodus (Gladiator), the Joker (The Dark Knight), and now Ravenna. High praise is due for her wonderfully portrayed character.

Chris Hemsworth (Thor) played the Huntsman better than expected. He showed some range and became a likable and believable character. He plays a stereotypical role as protector, but he is able to communicate his character’s motivations well enough that we don’t question it. In the end, he did well enough to not deserve criticism, but not well enough to deserve praise.

Playing alongside these “big three” actors are a myriad of other quality actors, none of which are typically recognized by name: Ian McShane (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead), Ray Winstone (Beowulf), Eddie Marsan (Sherlock Holmes), Toby Jones (Captain America: The First Avenger), and Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides).

Cinematography: 9/10

This film is beautiful. From the sets, to the landscapes, the camera work, the lighting – there is little to criticize. I only complain about some of the action shots – they’re a bit jumpy and un-imaginative.  There is a wide variety as well. From the beginning we are led to fear a movie that is grey and completely unsaturated color-wise, but we are then treated to new vistas full of color and imagination. If nothing else, this film is at least worth seeing for the visuals. And there are several great effects in the film: with characters exploding into clouds of crows and then reforming from a tar-y, feather-y mess. The effects with the magic mirror, while not necessary, are at least cool looking.

Music/Sound: 8/10

The score of this film is quality and for the most part is completely non-distracting. In fact, there is a moment at which a character complains about “this damn fairy music” and it takes a moment or two to realize that there is music playing for him to complain about. This isn’t to say that the music is bland or fails to be noticed, but that the music actually becomes a part of the ambiance and emotion of the scene. I think this is true of nearly every scene in the film with the exception of perhaps the dirge sung halfway through the film, it started well but ended poorly. If not for that, the score would have been a perfect 10/10.

Accuracy: 4/10

It’s hard to grade a fantasy film for historical accuracy, so it is important to grade it for adhering to medieval themes and standards. For one, the fact that the throne was usurped and no one contested it except for the “rightful heir” faction seems unusual. This film is conveniently divided into “Good vs. Evil,” which is fine for a fairytale, but I have no doubt in thinking the real world is not nearly as black and white. Where are the wars of successions like those surrounding the reign of King Stephen or the Wars of the Roses in English history?

And as misogynistic as it might sound, no one would be following a completely inexperienced girl into battle. The power that the Queen and Snow White exert in this film is completely unrealistic for a medieval setting. This is not to say that women of the medieval period were without power, theirs was simply more subtle. No doubt, there were women in the Middle Ages who fought in battle or defended their homes: Joan of Arc fought in the Hundred Years’ War,  the mythic Madame Carcas led the defense of Carcassonne,  Matilda of Canossa defended the Papacy, and Eleanor of Aquitaine went on crusade. But more often, women played the roles of negotiators, plying their power in more subtle ways. Snow White might have inspired her followers to war, she probably shouldn’t have led them.

There might be a lot here to nit-pick, but as a fantasy film, I doubt anyone expected the accuracy rating to be very high anyway.

Costuming: 8/10

This is another place where the film suffers from “Fantasy Genre Disorder.” The costumes in this film are beautiful, but when looking at them from a historical perspective, some don’t deliver. Namely: Charlize Theron’s wardrobe. It’s by far the most interesting and also the least historic. Where this film makes up for its FGD is in the armor department. While many fantasy based films would endeavor to put the female characters into the most preposterously revealing armor as possible. But instead, Snow White dons some realistic plate armor. And as the Huntsman notes, she looks “pretty fetching in maille.” I hope this goes out as a notice, women can absolutely look good in armor.

Action: 5/10

For a film that has been touted as “Snow White turned into a war movie,” and a “darker, grittier fairytale,” the action was kind of tame. I guess that’s largely to be expected in a movie called Snow White, but the combat, while relatively plentiful, was mostly bland. The movie suffered from action-camera angles that distracted from what combat there was by not allowing us to see what actually happened. The shot focuses on the character’s face while the action occurs in the periphery.

Besides that, there are cavalry charges through forests, ninja flips, and Legolas-style archery. The kicker is the knight in plate armor fighting a melee battle with a bow and arrows. The castle assault was pretty nice in that it involved subterfuge rather than bashing against the walls, and that the invading army had to create a defensive foothold once inside the gate.

Overall: 6.7/10

This film was overall enjoyable and worth seeing in theaters and someday owning on DVD/Bluray. Charlize Theron is a treat, Kristen Stewart a bore, and everything looks really, really pretty. Completely recommended for a fun day out.