In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen.In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen.In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen.
- Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 13 wins & 33 nominations total
Featured reviews
Atmosphere and CGI was good too. Nothing outstanding but very nice.
Only the plot, the writing, the storyline was not good at all. The spark, which was present all the time, unfortunately did not become a flame. I don't think the directors is to blame here at all, much more the writers over-performed and ruined it somehow.
Although I throw up when it comes to twilight, Kirsten Stewart was perfect for the role of Snow White. She did a very good acting and could have been just much more if the storyline was not that bad. She and the other actors did their best and saved 6 from 10 stars, otherwise it would have been not more than 5 stars.
Actually the animation and the song (Florence And The Machine "Breath of Life") of the end title was the best part about the movie. Never saw it that nobody was leaving the theater through the end title.
The twist is pretty interesting. The Evil Queen's tragic past, more significance to The Huntsman, turning Snow White into a gritty protagonist. Though the dwarfs are the same in Tarsem Singh's version. These elements could have made this a memorable and fresh adaptation, but they just threw these things to the film lazily. The plotting is mediocre which made the second act a bit boring. The action is nothing but looking good. It looks fascinating but you'll rarely see a real fight.
You already know what Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth will do but the audiences are more interested to Charlize Theron's performance. She sort of hammed it up when in rage but she does it pretty well in the rest. Another attraction to this is the visuals. Like I said, it's too pretty. It's never wrong for the visuals to be pretty especially to a film called Snow White. It's too pretty, they already careless about the plot. Decided to choose the generic way. Heroes meeting new friends, settle down, fight, settle down. Just waiting for the climax to come without any much development.
I'm starting to think when I first saw it, it's like Ridley Scott's Robin Hood. It's an old tale with a charismatic protagonist turned into a gritty one, but this one is a bit different. It refuses to be gritty and wants to be pretty and generic. The real action is few, the effect of drama is limited. The visuals can be spellbinding but anything else is just empty. There is a good story in the film but it's told in a generic way with a generic plot and filled with stuff that is borrowed from other films. One might enjoy it by its looks but if you care for more than that then it will be unsatisfying. Snow White and the Huntsman can be part of those clichéd modern fantasy movies like Clash of the Titans, Conan The Barbarian, and Immortals. But at least this film is the best of its kind. It's not bad nor good. It's just a waste of potential of a new good film.
However, although she has given good performances outside of 'Twilight', this reviewer doesn't care hugely for Kristen Stewart (though she is not a detractor either) and cares even less for the 'Twilight Saga'. So expectations prior to seeing the film, a live-action re-imagining of the classic fairy tale, were mixed.
Watching it finally at a film night with friends, 'Snow White and the Huntsman' wasn't as bad as feared and does have a good amount going for it, but it should have been much better than it was.
First and foremost, starting with the good assets, the best things about 'Snow White and the Huntsman' are the production values and Charlize Theron. The film is very beautiful to look at, with luscious but also atmospheric photography, Gothic but also elegant and rustic set and scenery design and lavish costumes (Ravenna's are a knockout). The special effects are mostly fine too. Ravenna is the one character that 'Snow White and the Huntsman' properly tries to develop (and it does so reasonably, but there are parts that could have been elaborated upon more), and Theron positively sinks her teeth into the character, giving a very enjoyably hammy (sometimes), sinister and also tragic interpretation.
James Newton Howard's score complements very well, it's beautifully orchestrated, rousing, elegiac, atmosphere-enhancing and very involving. Hemsworth is appropriately stone-faced and brooding as the Huntsman, displaying charisma and emotion. Sam Claflin does well too, though with an underwritten character.
Was mixed however on the dwarfs and Rupert Sanders' direction. The dwarfs are very enjoyably characterised, with all of them displaying much needed character, humour and charm, more so than their material deserved. Ian McShane is particularly noteworthy. However, they are written in a very glossed over and bland fashion, almost like they were written as an afterthought. The decision to scale down the actors may not work for some people, those who feel that casting real-life dwarfs would have fared better, personally enjoyed the performances but felt it would have been better if Warwick Davis played all of them. Sanders' direction exudes confidence visually, but in the chemistry between actors, direction of some of the actors and direction of the drama he seemed ill at ease.
The biggest problem with 'Snow White and the Huntsman' is Stewart (an opinion this reviewer well before reading the reviews for the film, so this is own opinion talking), she gives a very wooden, expressionless and one-note (constant surprise and "sucking on lemon"-like) performance that makes identifying and sympathising with Snow White incredibly difficult. A shame because her younger child counterpart was very believable. The story has moments (mainly with Theron), but flounders from a lack of chemistry in the pivotal relationship between Stewart and Hemsworth, a particularly dull middle act and stuff brought up but barely explored giving an incomplete and jumpy feel to the storytelling.
Action is episodic and lacking in tension and excitement generally, while the script clunks badly and the characters are bland with the exception of Ravenna. They do start trying to develop the Huntsman but the development is forgotten about once he becomes protector and lover.
Overall, looks great but fails to engage narratively. Not awful, not great, wildly uneven more like. 5/10 Bethany Cox
Now, I enjoyed this film a lot more than I thought I would, it reminded me a lot of Lord of The Rings, from the grand music to the mountain scenery, and it does feature a few spectacular fight scenes. Visually, this is an impressive film, however, the film focuses too much on visuals and not enough on characters, the Dwarfs are glossed over and never really given any time to engage with the audience, which is a shame, as the group contains excellent actors (Ray Winstone and Bob Hoskins, amongst others ). Kristen Stewart as Snow White seems to think she's still playing Bella from Twilight, (i.e no range of emotions, just a blank stare for the whole film), especially when opposite to her is Charlize Theron giving an amazingly dramatic performance as the Queen. To sum up, a good re-telling of a classic, but by no means as good as the Disney Classic which most of us remember.
7/10
Did you know
- TriviaRavenna's powers are based on the legend of Erszebet (or Elizabeth) Bathory, a 17th-century Hungarian potentate who allegedly consumed and bathed in the blood of murdered young girls in an attempt to rejuvenate herself.
- GoofsWhile fleeing the castle astride the white horse, despite having mounted and later mired the steed with neither saddle, blanket, nor reins, there are several shots where snow white's posture is much too straight for a bareback rider, but a rider in a saddle and stirrups which have been digitally removed, and where Snow White's hands are positioned exactly where digitally removed reins would be as well, and (at around 28 mins) the blanket has been left a bit too clearly visible to be all that easily missed.
- Quotes
The Huntsman: [to a sleeping Snow White] You deserved better. I once had a wife, Princess. Sara was her name. When I came back from the wars I carried with me the stench of death and the anger of the lost. I wasn't worth saving, that's for sure. She did so anyway. And I loved her so much. I loved her more than anyone or anything. Then I let her out of my sight and she was gone. And I became myself again. A self I never cared for. Until you. See, you remind me of her. Her heart, her spirit. But now you, too, have gone. You both deserved better and I'm so sorry I failed you. I'm so sorry. But you'll be a queen in Heaven now and sit among the angels.
[kisses Snow White]
- Alternate versionsThe Extended Version contains 5 new scenes and runs ~4 minutes longer than the Theatrical Version.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #20.136 (2012)
- SoundtracksWhat Will You Do?
Written by June Tabor and Maddy Prior
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Blancanieves y el Cazador
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $170,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $155,332,381
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $56,217,700
- Jun 3, 2012
- Gross worldwide
- $396,592,829
- Runtime2 hours 7 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1