Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

When you hear about Snow White, you probably think about the classic 1937 Disney animated film. In Show White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders attempts to tell a darker and grittier version of this classic fairy tale.

The films initially swept me up in a well realized fantasy world full of knights, princesses, evil queens, and mysterious powers. Snow White's world is well built and looks gorgeous throughout the film. This beautiful world couldn't distract me enough, though, to ignore the problems that chip away at the film.

Snow White and the Huntsman was my first exposure to Kristen Stewart (Snow White) as an actress. I'm not sure if I should blame her performance on a horrible miss-casting, or if she is simply a poor actress (based on conversation with friends it is probably the latter). Stewart displayed a lack of charisma on screen. She seemed void of emotion throughout most of the film. At times it seemed an emotion was struggling to emerge from inside of her, only to be lost in a look of apathetic confusion.

Contrasting against Kristen Stewart's efforts, we have Ravenna (the evil queen) played by Charlize Theron, who brought a brilliant intensity to her role. Theron seemed to be having a fun time with her portrayal of the character, which kept the lunacy of her performance from seeming to over the top. There is a moment in the film when Snow White gives a rousing speech to the soldiers fighting for her before they march into battle. As I watched this scene unfold, I couldn't help but wish I was seeing Theron giving a similar speech in the opposite camp instead. The miss or on the wall may have been fooled, but there is not doubt that Snow White wasn't the fairest one in this movie.

Aside from Stewart, the acting of the rest of the cast was good enough, but it failed to ever get me to care for the characters. This lead to many of the emotional moments of the film falling flat for me. I also felt distanced from the film because it did not do a good job establishing the rules of the world. Snow White is the Neo of this world, but the film never really establishes the power she has over it. One scene that comes to mind involves a menacing bridge troll, who is easily subdued by a stare down with Snow White. When were these powers established? If she has these abilities, why isn't she charming more vicious creatures to fight for her?

By the end of the film I was cheering for the Ravenna and hoping the movie would soon end. I feel like Rupert Sanders was trying to make a great summer flick, but unfortunately his vision fell flat.