Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
Director: Rupert Sanders
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron
Synopsis:
When Princess Snow White escapes her imprisonment, the Witch Queen Ravenna calls on a huntsman to find her.
Impressions:
I remember when this came out, I was somewhat interested, but because Kristen Stewart was cast as the lead, I passed on it. I know they were wanting to cash in on her Twilight fame and the movie still did fairly well when it was all said and done (well enough to warrant a sequel, which is actually what prompted me to give this a watch when I saw it in the listings), but I have a feeling putting Stewart in the lead role may well have cost as many viewers as it gained. I don't think that much of her as an actress, but to be fair, she wasn't that bad in this. Thankfully, any shortcoming on her part is pretty well offset by the rest of the cast. Chris Hemsworth basically plays Thor with a (mostly) Scottish accent, Charlize Theron is really good (if insanely hammy) as Ravenna, and you've got big names like Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins (in his final role), and Nick Frost counted among the Dwarves. I really dig the aesthetic of the film and the darker themes remind me a lot of Snow White: A Tale of Terror. You even have shout-outs to Princess Mononoke where Snow White basically gets the Shishigami's blessing. (No headless Daidarabotchi rampaging about, unfortunately.) There's some good action sequences and the effects are pretty good too. It's not perfect by any stretch, but I liked it and I'd say it's worth a watch. I'll be considering the sequel too.
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