Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

A darkened re-imagining of the classic Snow White fable, with some twists in the tale and some superb gruesome visuals.

The fairy tale has played a phenomenal part in the development of cinema. From the classic Disney films in the early half of the 20th Century to the Shrek franchise and beyond, audiences’ appetites for moralistic fantasy has remained big. A recent attempt to breath some fiery life into a classic story fell flat on its face, Red Riding Hood was impressive stylistically, but without any substance or bite.

Newbie director, Rupert Sanders was the promising hopeful for this version of Snow White, and his film ticks most of the boxes.

The plot brings many of the original elements to the Snow White story, but presents them in a completely skewed manner. In this telling, the evil Queen (played vivaciously by Charlize Theron) takes power of the land by marrying the King, and then killing him and imprisoning his beautiful daughter Snow White (Kristen Stewart). After seven years of being locked up, Snow manages to escape, and is pursued by the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) at the Queen’s behest. However, once the Huntsman finds Snow White within an enchanted forest, he quickly realises the peril of his and her situation, and joins with Snow in a rebellion against the evil Queen.

As mentioned, many of the original parts to the classic story are there: there is an apple, there are dwarves, and there is an unmistakably moralistic overtone running throughout, but the transformation has breathed new life into this weary tale.

Performances are of a decent standard, Theron stealing many of the scenes with her deeply intriguing performance/interpretation of the evil Queen, a character which becomes less of a Panto-style villain, and more of a troubled soul.

Stewart, who was always going to come under fire after finishing the Franchise-Which-Must-Not-Be-Named, delivers an impressive portrayal of Snow, giving her a vulnerability that is grounded, yet powerful. A few shaky comparisons with her Bella character are nothing to cry about.

The most impressive performance though comes from Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman. An emotionally tortured character, his soul is bared on screen, and the moments of poignancy captivate through the first section of the movie. Aside from the ill-advised Scottish accent, Hemsworth proves his worth outside of Avengers territory.

Also of worthy mention is the clan of dwarves played by Nick Frost, Ian McShane, Ray Winstone and others, who deserved far more attention than they were given, but delivered some much needed levity and depth.

While the film does a very good job with the task at hand, there are a few nagging criticisms. Such as the lack of development of Snow’s character in the first section of the movie: she is given little emotional depth, and not enough screen time, only to emerge later as a heroic leader. Secondly, the film gives some startlingly disturbing visuals, such as Theron crawling through a black-slime gruel, or Stewart hallucinogenic trip after some funky mushrooms attack her, but these moments are few and far between. In order to placate the 12a audience, Sanders seems reluctant to push the boundaries, which ultimately leave the film impotent.

In conclusion, not as Grimm as many would have liked it, but great performances and a few moments of cinematic brilliance make this a real contender in the A-list line-up of 2012.