Review- Snow White and The Huntsman

At the Theater- Snow White and The Huntsman - The first-rate, fantasy-themed visuals and cinematography are absolutely gorgeous to look at- too bad the script is so self-serious and the tone is so very cold to the touch. At times, I felt like I was watching a follow-up to John Boorman's Excalibur. There aren't nearly enough of those little moments of character building that help to endear an audience to the major players in this particular Action-oriented retelling of the classic fairy tale.

Kristen Stewart is never really all that likeable or believable (I think the only prerequisite she met for the role was in being naturally pale...)- her suiting up in full armor and charging into battle is a bit painful to watch. Charlize Theron can't quite get a comfortable handle on how to play the Evil Queen- she forces the matter from time to time with classic over-acting. Character Actor Sam Spruell, portraying the Queen's brother and right-hand henchman here, also feels miscast- he simply doesn't have the acting chops or presence to pull off what was required of the role. Chris Hemsworth continues to be a capable leading man, though his Huntsman character is missing that one climactic scene of heroicism that would solidify the role in the collective memory. We'll probably be seeing more of Actor Sam Claflin- though his role as love interest to Snow is missing a dynamic, he shows a fair amount of promise.

The filmmakers have gathered an impressive cast to play the Dwarfs- seeing the likes of Ian McShane (Deadwood), Bob Hoskins (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?), Ray Winstone (The Departed), Nick Frost (Shaun of The Dead), Toby Jones (Infamous) and Eddie Marsan (Hancock) play such characters is rather funny in itself- the effects work in this regard is seamless. The film definitely needed more of them and their welcome snippets of humorous dialogue to help balance out the experience.

Scenes in the "Dark Forest" and "Enchanted Forest" contrast excellently- there's a very impressive-looking "Bridgekeeper Troll" that I wish could have been utilized more. This is the first feature-length film from Director Rupert Sanders (another former music video Director) and the results, although uneven, aren't bad enough to condemn it.

7.0 outta 10