One of the more intriguing races to watch over the past year hasn't involved cars or Olympic athletes. It's been the dueling grudge match between Relativity and Universal in a race to see who could get an adaptation of the fairest fairy tale of all, Snow White, to the silver screen. Interesting, mainly because the films took wildly opposing angles on the Brothers Grimm story, which we all could probably recite in our sleep. Relativity won out with their devilish Mirror Mirror, lifted by a soapy turn from Julia Roberts as the evil queen. Universal's Snow White and the Huntsman is a different beast altogether. While lacking some of the visual pop and punchy attitude of Tarsem Singh's film, first time director Rupert Sanders has decided to delve deep into the Game of Thrones playbook for his version, which should make fans of the hit swords 'n blood HBO series very happy.
Setting the story in such medieval murk is a double edged sword, as it often struggles to find a few moments of levity amidst all the doom and gloom, even if that seriousness is what makes this the Snow White adaptation most will flock to this year. Much of what we already know remains intact, and truth be told, the film suffers most when veering too far away from the fantasy elements. Charlize Theron hams it up as the evil Queen Ravenna, a powerful man-hating shrew who tricks her way into the bed of a mourning King on the ultimate rebound. Married to him within a day, she slays him in bed that night, and not in a good way. We're talking Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct style. Taking control of his kingdom in a flash, her power and beauty are absolute, the latter flawless due to a spell that allows her to stay gorgeous as long as she's the fairest in the land. Kristen Stewart plays the grown up Snow White, the king's daughter whose beauty now threatens to turn Ravenna into the old crone she ought to be. Escaping into the Dark Forests, Snow White is pursued by Ravenna's creepy brother, with whom she shares a rather sickening familiarity.Enter Chris Hemsworth as Eric the Huntsman, a boisterous, drunken lout with a mysterious past and a ton of old grief weighing heavy on his shoulders. Forced by an impossible offer made by Ravenna, he's convinced to brave the Dark Forest to find Snow White, but is convinced to spare her life and be a reluctant guide to safety. Her true nature becomes apparent to him along the way, although it's clear from the magical forest creatures that guide her every step that Snow White is considerably more than just the future Queen, but a force for life itself.
Sounds a little heavy, doesn't it? Screenwriters Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock, and Hossein Amini certainly think so, as there's barely a laugh to be found anywhere. Only in Hemsworth's performance as the Huntsman do we ever get much of a chuckle, with his simple, common bravado overwhelmed by the enormity of his predicament. He's hilariously confused by the arrival of a handful of dwarfs(featuring Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Nick Frost, and more) who not only best him in combat but also appear to be infinitely brighter than him as well. These dwarfs prove to not be much for comic relief, however, and are merely extra foot soldiers in Snow White's fight to reclaim the kingdom. It's a shame to see so many talented actors kind of wasted as background players, and in light of the brilliant all-dwarf casting in Mirror Mirror, it's weirder still to see taller men in such roles.Stewart has always been a superior talent when free from the Twilight shackles, is quite good here as well when given the opportunity. For much of the film she really doesn't have much to do but look dirty, distressed, and finally concerned. As the people begin to rally around Snow White, their support turns turns to idol worship, and Stewart is quite good at playing the uncomfortable leader, even if she's not quite so believable riding a horse into battle. As effective as Stewart may be, the film is less exciting when Theron is nowhere to be found. Her insecure, poisonous rantings as Ravenna are a joy to behold, and those scenes also hold many of the film's best special effects. Her famous mirror, for instance, isn't just a random household fixture, and when called upon oozes a dark liquid metal that takes the shape of an ominous oracle. Shards of obsidian coalesce into a razor edged army of foot soldiers, and the make up folks do some truly ingenious work with Theron as she shifts ages at a moment's notice.
Sanders, who began his career making TV commercials, has a knack for making a quick visual impact, evidenced by the sudden emergence of giant ogre-type creatures and Ravenna's flash transformations into a flock of ravens. On the whole, he shows an ability for fantastical spectacle, like during an intoxicating, vibrant stroll through a forest full of fairies and spirited woodland animals. The battle scenes aren't particularly inventive, however, and too often resemble a poor man's Lord of the Rings.
The biggest problem is that the script is all over the map on setting a tone. Does it want to be a grim Middle Ages piece, or a dazzling fairy tale adventure? Some would ask why it can't be a combination of the two, and that's a valid question. The answer is that no matter what, those elements must make for a cohesive whole, even if one is done better than the other. That doesn't happen here, and when you throw in a ton of characters and a stagnant love triangle involving Prince William(Sam Claflin), it's just too much to overcome.
Snow White and the Huntsman isn't a bad film by any means. It has some great performances, two strong female characters, and in its way better sticks to what the Brothers Grimm had intended when they first retold their German myth. If they were alive today, this would probably be their favorite movie of the summer. For everyone else, Snow White and the Huntsman probably isn't going to be the fairest of all, but a gorgeous runner-up.
