Rupert Sanders' “SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN”

Movie Review by Dennis D. McDonald

The only reason I rented this Blu-ray was to see Charlize Theron. I was smitten by her in Prometheus and was really looking forward to seeing her in a turn as the Evil Stepmother.

Alas, it was not to be. Despite a great cast and clever special effects, the movie falls flat despite its bending of our fairy-tale-inspired expectations. Character development is nil. Drama is uneven. Dialog is flat. Photography is uninspired.

On the plus side: I enjoyed Kristen Stewart as Snow White. I remember being impressed by her in Panic Room so it was nice to see how she has matured. I also enjoyed Sam Spruell as Charlize Theron’s evil brother and wondered what the movie might have been like had he played the Evil Stepmother in drag, instead of Theron. Obviously a missed opportunity. 

Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman is wasted. He portrays neither personality nor soul. Compared to this, his ingratiating Thor was a triumph.

The dwarves are well done and enjoyable; their grittiness is a welcome antidote to Disneyfication.

But the direction in this movie is non-existent. We are meant to care about characters we hardly know. Theron rants and raves with no effect. Whereas she was diabolical, cool, and sexy in Prometheus, here she just shrieks and stalks the castle throne room. 

I blame the director, uninspired editing, and boring music. There’s a lot of lost opportunity here. Perhaps the extended edition is much better; unfortunately, I rented the Blu-ray from Netflix and the Extended edition, along with all the special features, show up on the menus but have been deactivated.

Review copyright (c) 2013 by Dennis D. McDonald