There is much of this darker telling of the classic Snow White story to like. Chris Hemsworth's accent isn't one of them. The slow and forgettable first half an hour isn't one of them either. What there is to like is that Kristen Stewart proves she has some gravitas in her arsenal and Charlize Theron proves that Summer 2012 belongs to her. More importantly, Snow White and the Huntsmen proves to be an imaginative, risk taking, epic and brave piece of film making which for the most part, works.
To begin it is worth noting that this is no ordinary fairy tale. Dark, brutal, wicked and full of muscle, Snow White and the Huntsmen is as dark as a child's tale can be taken without it becoming one for the grown ups. It takes parts of the tale and twists them on its head, adding in new characters, locations and plot points to make it feel more placed in a reality closer to our own past. It doesn't all work. It's need to differentiate its story from the Disney classic leads to a much too long prologue which fails to illuminate when Theron isn't on screen.
In general though it does illuminate. A twist with the apple. An extra dwarf. A golden spectre appearing from the magic mirror. It's all original and daring, and when Snow White and the Huntsmen gets it right, it works brilliantly. Shot beautifully, every sequence looks better than then next, and some of the effects better anything seen so far this year. Queen Ravanna turning from woman into ravens is something close to computer generated magic.
It's therefore a shame that with magic playing such a huge part in proceedings that the script fails to add any weight or history to how it all works. It just does. As a result you will find yourself longing for a little better explanation at exactly what makes Snow White the fairest of them all, and how she can break the spell cast upon Theron's Queen that grants her everlasting youth and beauty.
In the sole leading role, Kristen Stewart has to carry a lot of the films emotional power, and it is refreshing to see her do it with relative ease. She takes the gloom out of her Bella Swan, adding a touch of class, humour and passion that makes Snow White thrice the heroine her iconic now-vampire role ever was. She shows how a woman can and should lead a film, and it's surely an important role for Stewart in showing she needs no Rob or Taylor for future successes.
Supporting her is a mixed bag. Chris Hemsworth feels horribly miss-cast as The Huntsman. Part William Wallace, part Captain Haddock, The Huntman's accent is as woeful as could be, and he comes across as too brutish to care for him. His character also has the most cliched backstory, and so feels paper thin when stood next to Stewart. Sam Spruell as the queen's brother also feels a little out of place. Whether it is his haircut or his annoying personality that grates more is irrelevant, there's just no denying you'll be hoping for his quick demise every time you see him. The dwarves are hit and miss, and with such a strong group that includes Ray Winstone, Bob Hoskins, Ian McShane and Nick Frost they feel like a missed opportunity to be funnier and more important to the story.
Star of the show however, is Charlize Theron. Wicked doesn't come close to describing Queen Ravanna. She's has a heart as black as Snow White's hair; the very definition of mad, evil and angered. Theron clearly is loving the chance to let loose on screen, and she makes Ravanna so deliciously fun to watch that the long periods she isn't on screen feel like they are missing some of the film's sparkle.
When all is said and done, Snow White is an incredibly brave film, for aiming itself into a market between males and females, and taking a child's story and throwing it in the general direction of the adults. In many ways it shouldn't work, so it's refreshing to see that it largely does.
It's perhaps ironic that only half a year after the boy who lived appeared to take magic away from our cinema screens, the girl who lived has awoken it again.
Long may it stay there.
7/10
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