Snow White and the Huntsman

[benzgrl]

Finally caught this yesterday - I absolutely loved it!!!

Thought Kristen did fabulously and she had the British accent down! Much better than Hemsworth.

I did not find the middle part of the movie boring at all - in fact loved the slower pacing going into meeting the dwarves, travelling thru Sanctuary and campfire dialogue part - thought all essential to the story.

Beautifully shot film and the two ladies looked gorgeous! Already pre-ordered the Blu SteelBook.

[CYMBOL]

I saw it this weekend - gave it a 3/5.

Stewart did fine - I tried really hard to separate her from her Twilight role - and I think if I didn't know her from that, I might have thought she did a good job.

I had a lot of nitpicks with this movie.

Overall, I enjoyed it for what it was - a retelling of Snow White as an action/adventure. For the most part, I think they accomplished what they set out to do and I was entertained.

But if I were to critique the film and storytelling - I'd say it was all over the place and a bit of a mess.

The Dark Forest:

[Show spoiler]

• Isn't actually that threatening, unless you include bad mushroom trip.
• You might run into the one and apparently only dangerous creature in the forest. But you can just have a staring contest with him and he'll go away.
• When you aren't having a bad trip - the Dark Forest can still present scary images that feed off of your fear - so, just don't be afraid.

Powers:

[Show spoiler]Two spells were cast. One for each child. The Queen to be was given a "Fairness" that was meant as an end to a mean. Meant to be objectified. Snow White's fairness was deeper and more honorable. Ok, I can go with that.

• So, the Queen bring's death and has lots of powers, can transform into different people, a flock of Ravens, take youth from others and give it to others (her brother), and be immortal to a point.
  
• Snow White - when she is around, you're bad knee doesn't hurt so much.

The entire fairy forest seems happy to see Snow White. The White Stag blesses Snow White and people just "feel" better when she is around. Is she some kind of Life Bringer or Healer? Apparently not as a Dwarf takes an arrow for her and all she can do is cry a bit.

So - what is so great about the character, Snow White?

[Show spoiler]Well, for some reason, only Fair can kill Fair - ok, that seems fair. (Sorry, had to do it). However, she doesn't overcome the Queen with her goodness, or battle death with her Life Bringing awesomeness, or rally the forest spirits against the Queen - nope, she just stabs her real good.

The Dwarves:

[Show spoiler]

• Great job with the make up and effects and the acting.
• Too little screen time. When one dies, I felt I barely knew him. I'm not even sure what his name was.
• So, why were the Dwarves sent alone into the castle to open the drawbridge? Sorry, but I actually think 7 small people wondering around would be more likely to draw attention. It was cute, but a little too silly. Would have been better if the main knights had failed in their mission to scale a wall and so the Dwarves went in the back way - not as the main and only plan to open the gates.

Other nitpicks:

[Show spoiler]

• Again, the Dark Forest - apparently, it's so dark and dangerous that no one actually perishes in there.
• A guy has a clear shot at Snow White, but goes for the kill on the Stag instead. This of course has no bearing on anything, since, as far as I can tell, you can't really hurt it.
• True love's kiss. So, is it about who loves you "more"?
• Why does everyone have bad accents. I couldn't even tell what country they were all supposed to be from or if everyone was simply doing their own pretend accent

.

So, it was a fun/entertaining popcorn adventure movie - but the more you think about it - the more you wonder exactly what the rules are in this universe. It wasn't like Prometheus that asked many questions and only hinted at answers, or revealed answers that lead to more questions. This movie honestly doesn't seem to know what ideas it is presenting.

[Show spoiler]The Fairy Forest creatures all love Snow White and Dark Forest creatures leave her alone -

why? I dont know! Just go with it!

It's fun if you don't think about any of these things, but once you start trying to figure out the reasoning behind what makes the character of Snow White so great - it can become an infuriating search.

[Elandyll]

Saw it yesterday and really enjoyed it.
To me it would be more of a 7/10, but I ended up giving it a 4/5 because I don't think it deserves a 3/5.

I think Mrs Theron's acting was superb (in the psycho type), and the photography was gorgeous throughout.

Main cast (Stewart) could imo have been better, but in spite of my fears it wasn't a complete disaster.

Just wondering why they couldn't pick someone like Jemima West?

[QuasidodoJr]

Watched this yesterday. It was a passable fantasy/adventure film, but it failed to completely draw me in at any point or time. I'd give it a 2.5 out of 5 but settled for 3 out 5 because of the ratings scale.

[duggie walker]

Just saw this. It was watchable but Chris Nolan has got a lot to answer for - everything's so humourless nowadays. This is a kids' film, based on a fairytale, for Christ's sake! Put a few gags in! Not stupid crap like MIRROR MIRROR but just a few quips, a bit of banter, like in the old days. It's not THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

This is why the Marvel films do well. There's a bit of humour in them. THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY is a one-off and it worked as an antidote to Schumacher's idiocy. It won't work for fluff like this.

[Al_The_Strange]

Finally got around to seeing it yesterday. It met my expectations and I gave it a 4/5.

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

“Snow White and the Huntsman”

The tale of Snow White is perhaps best known through the classic Disney animation, but as a Grimm fairy tale, it hints at a darker and more primal origin. The notion of taking a classic tale like this and twisting it into a darker and more adult-themed high fantasy was previously attempted (with arguable results) in Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland.” I suspect that “Snow White and the Huntsman” delivers the proper goods that “Alice” failed to. “SWatH” is dark through and through; it arms its characters with rough and tough steel, and pits them against all kinds of swords and sorcery. There are many visually fantastic moments in this film; some big highlights include some magnificent forest scenery (half of which is dark with lots of scary monsters, and the other half is light with a “Princess Mononoke” type of vibe), lots of black gothic magic coming from the evil queen (which I loved), and a thrilling battle scene in the end. Admittedly, the film drags in a few spots, but overall it met my expectations.

The story is familiar, as it hits up all the same plot points as the Disney film and fairy tale; it does do a fine job at mixing things around to match up with the new dark aesthetic, and to make it stand on its own as a medieval-themed epic. One could probably spend pages and pages comparing the film to its original source; the most notable and beneficial alterations include adding more back story to the events and the characters. The story does suffer a little for its predictability, its uneven pacing, and for having an underdeveloped romance. I was pretty happy with the character developments, however, and I grew to adore most of them by the film’s end.

The film looks stylish, with mostly-solid photography and quality visuals. Some scenes show some erratic camera shake, but it’s rarely overbearing. Editing is not bad. The acting satisfied; I felt Charlize Theron was perfect as Ravenna; it’s a little hard to regard Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth without comparing them to their previous roles in “Twilight” and “Thor” respectively, but to be fair, they did put on their most earnest effort and brought their characters to life pretty well. The dwarf characters are fun to watch. Writing is not bad. This production has excellent sets, props, costumes, and special effects; it’s especially noteworthy for capturing the appropriate medieval setting to accentuate the film’s dark aesthetic. Music is good; the score had some great moments, and I was enjoying the end credits theme song.

4/5 (Entertainment: Good | Story: Good | Film: Very Good)

[jd_from_da_80s]

Originally Posted by MyBlu-rayBrotherEd

I think that the title of "fairest" goes beyond physical beauty.

I don't think so, The Queen was far from fair,

[Show spoiler]she was killing pretty young girls for their youth & the subjects were drinking her bath water I mean, I'd drink Charlize Theron's bath water but I eat at least 3 square meals a day.

Then again, even if I didn't...

Originally Posted by duggie walker

Just saw this. It was watchable but Chris Nolan has got a lot to answer for - everything's so humourless nowadays. This is a kids' film, based on a fairytale, for Christ's sake! Put a few gags in! Not stupid crap like MIRROR MIRROR but just a few quips, a bit of banter, like in the old days. It's not THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

This is why the Marvel films do well. There's a bit of humour in them. THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY is a one-off and it worked as an antidote to Schumacher's idiocy. It won't work for fluff like this.

If memory serves me correctly,

[Show spoiler]in the original version, The Evil Queen was Snow White's mother & she wanted SW's heart & liver as proof that she was killed & when The Huntsman couldn't kill her, he brought her back a pig's heart & liver & The Evil Queen had it cooked & ate it. When The Evil Queen finds out SW is alive, she finds her & tries to strangle her. I believe at the end the Queen is ordered to dance in scolding hot iron shoes until she drops dead.

Far from a kid's fairy tale IMO. Anyway this is a retailing. Disney had their version, the Brother's Grimm had two or more, Mirror Mirror with Julia Roberts, A Tale of Horror with Sigorney Weaver, there's one with Hally Berry & now this one.

Anyway, I gave it 3/5 stars. It was OK, I wouldn't buy the BD

[duggie walker]

Originally Posted by jd_from_da_80s

I don't think so, The Queen was far from fair,

[Show spoiler]she was killing pretty young girls for their youth & the subjects were drinking her bath water I mean, I'd drink Charlize Theron's bath water but I eat at least 3 square meals a day.

Then again, even if I didn't...



If memory serves me correctly,

[Show spoiler]in the original version, The Evil Queen was Snow White's mother & she wanted SW's heart & liver as proof that she was killed & when The Huntsman couldn't kill her, he brought her back a pig's heart & liver & The Evil Queen had it cooked & ate it. When The Evil Queen finds out SW is alive, she finds her & tries to strangle her. I believe at the end the Queen is ordered to dance in scolding hot iron shoes until she drops dead.

Far from a kid's fairy tale IMO. Anyway this is a retailing. Disney had their version, the Brother's Grimm had two or more, Mirror Mirror with Julia Roberts, A Tale of Horror with Sigorney Weaver, there's one with Hally Berry & now this one.

Anyway, I gave it 3/5 stars. It was OK, I wouldn't buy the BD

Yeah, I'm familiar with the macabre European roots of our best-loved fairy tales. That is not what this movie is trying to be. Like the execrable ALICE IN WONDERLAND it's trying to turn the story into BRAVEHEART/GLADIATOR-lite. It's the usual cookie-cutter stuff, not complex enough to carry its weighty feel. A sense of fun would have helped, is all.

[jd_from_da_80s]

Originally Posted by duggie walker

Yeah, I'm familiar with the macabre European roots of our best-loved fairy tales. That is not what this movie is trying to be. Like the execrable ALICE IN WONDERLAND it's trying to turn the story into BRAVEHEART/GLADIATOR-lite. It's the usual cookie-cutter stuff, not complex enough to carry its weighty feel. A sense of fun would have helped, is all.

Oh OK, I see where you're coming from.

[wilky61]

Saw this tonight, rated it a 2/5. It wasn't so much that this movie was terrible but just that it wasn't compelling. Kristen Stewart is not a good actress (no surprise here). She made the entire face/glare in every scene in the movie. The character development was weak; neither I nor the girl with whom I saw this movie felt compelled by any of the characters or the developments in the plot. It wasn't bad; it was just average... weak. I wouldn't really fault Chris Hemsworth or Charlize Theron, though, probably the writers/director most of all...

[HD Canuck]

Saw it last night. I went in not expecting much, but I ended up really liking it! I think I may have liked it more than Burton's live-action Alice in Wonderland. Charlize was excellent as the Evil Queen. Didn't know who was playing the dwarves before hand so I got a nice surprise when I see McShane, Hoskins, Winstone, Frost and a few other familiar faces playing the dwarves. Also had a cool song during the end credits by Florence + The Machine. A pleasant surprise.

[remake]

Originally Posted by Elandyll

Saw it yesterday and really enjoyed it.
To me it would be more of a 7/10, but I ended up giving it a 4/5 because I don't think it deserves a 3/5.

I think Mrs Theron's acting was superb (in the psycho type), and the photography was gorgeous throughout.

Main cast (Stewart) could imo have been better, but in spite of my fears it wasn't a complete disaster.

Just wondering why they couldn't pick someone like Jemima West?

WHO? Nobody would see the movie if she was in it.

[victortubeman]

Cinematography was good,as they used film 65mm , 35mm and red camera,s for some scenes and VFX.I saw this with a 4k barco DLP ,with the effort they went too,surely a DI at 4k would have been more appropriate.DI is only 2k.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1735898/

[Rblu-Dblu]

Originally Posted by Elandyll

Just wondering why they couldn't pick someone like Jemima West?

I wonder if she's an aunt.

[RocShemp]

I finally saw Snow White and the Huntsman today. It was decent enough but felt three times longer than it really was. All the while I was watching it, I kept thinking how much better and far more coherent it would be as a TV series. In fact, given the episodic nature of the film, it felt as if someone had taken bits and pieces from different episodes of a TV series and cut it all toegether to make a truncated movie version.

I will say that, when the horrid use of shakey cam wasn't getting in the way, the film was visually stunning. My favourite sequence was in Sanctuary since it was all pretty much a live action version of the forest in Mononoke Hime. However, all that (and even the troll bridge sequence) felt pointless since none of those fantasy creatures, aside from the dwarves, ever joined in the fight against Ravena. Huge missed opportunity right there.

Other than not really getting what happened in the end

[Show spoiler](is Snow White now in love with the Hunstman or...?),

why was there Christianity in this fantasy universe? I kept expecting Jesus or Aslan to pop up at any moment.

[vegeta88]

Originally Posted by RocShemp

I finally saw Snow White and the Huntsman today. It was decent enough but felt three times longer than it really was. All the while I was watching it, I kept thinking how much better and far more coherent it would be as a TV series. In fact, given the episodic nature of the film, it felt as if someone had taken bits and pieces from different episodes of a TV series and cut it all toegether to make a truncated movie version.

I will say that, when the horrid use of shakey cam wasn't getting in the way, the film was visually stunning. My favourite sequence was in Sanctuary since it was all pretty much a live action version of the forest in Mononoke Hime. However, all that (and even the troll bridge sequence) felt pointless since none of those fantasy creatures, aside from the dwarves, ever joined in the fight against Ravena. Huge missed opportunity right there.

Other than not really getting what happened in the end

[Show spoiler](is Snow White now in love with the Hunstman or...?),

why was there Christianity in this fantasy universe? I kept expecting Jesus or Aslan to pop up at any moment.

Good points. I definitely agree with the second and third paragraphs. That was a majorly missed opportunity to bring in some of the fantasy creatures in the final battle. That would have made the climax more interesting. As for you're question in the unanswered ending, I think they were leaving that a cliffhanger for the possible sequel. So basically robbing the audience of a satisfying ending. I don't know why they had the references to Christianity. It felt out of place in the sense that it had no impact on the film as far as I could tell.

[RocShemp]

After some searching on Google, it seems the Hunstman was origiinally intended to be older and soley a mentor to Snow White (though she was to have an unrequited crush on him). When they cast Hemsworth in the role, they chose to make him the love interest but never bothered to write out William.

"In my original draft another slight difference was the idea that the huntsman was primarily a mentor figure with some hints of an unrequited love relationship with Snow White. As an example, like the original pitch I would give for this movie back in the old days when I first wrote it was. “It’s Snow White meets Luc Besson’s The Professional” where it’s like the huntsman is like the Jean Reno hitman character teaching Snow White to be this strong warrior and fighter.


"So he was much more of a mentor in the original and the process of the script evolving and then the casting, they started thinking about older casting for the huntsman character, like Viggo Mortenson, Johnny Depp, guys like that, which would have been more that mentor figure.


"But when Chris Hemsworth became available and it was right after Thor and he was so good in Thor. I thought Thor was really over the top and crazy, but really fun and I thought he was really good in it. There was no way you could cast Chris Hemsworth and not turn up the volume on the love story between the huntsman and Snow White.


"So now it’s much more of a 50/50 between huntsman as a mentor and huntsman as a potential love interest and that was a big change, which to be honest I was a little resistant too, but knowing a huge portion of movie goers go to see… I mean it’s just a classic element of any story, a compelling romance or a compelling love story or the hint of a compelling love story. I have since been won over by that, but I was a little resistant to that at first."

Although a badass fighter, William needed to be nixed, honestly, if they wanted to amp up the half baked romance between the Hunstman and Snow White. Or have her simply choose the Hunstman. After all, William was holding a torch for the girl he knew over a decade ago. I don't buy that "she hasn't changed at all" as he stated to the Hunstman.

[RocShemp]

One final thing that I thought I should mention (as I notice people bringing this up). Yes, Stewart is nowhere near as attractive as Theron but, muddled as it may have been, that was the point. Early in the film, Snow White's mother states that her true beauty comes from her heart rather than her looks. Ravenna, on the other hand, is all about looks. It's a whole inner beauty versus outer beauty theme.

[AndyD]

Saw this recently. Not bad but not great. Gave it a 3 out of 5.
I deducted 1 star cause Kristen Stweart is in it. Really can't stand her but I like Theron & Hemsworth so I gave it a watch

[RocShemp]

Sadly, given her shrill overacting, Theron (who is normally a fantastic actress) seemed hellbent to make Stewart look good by comparison.

That said, though she did her "stare into the middle distance with mouth agape" routine, Stewart didn't bug me at all in this. I'm sure it helps that I've never watched a single Twilight movie but it's also the fact that, as written, Snow White was practically a non-entity in most scenes. It was awkward to say the least.