Whoever cut the trailers for Snow White and The Huntsman deserves a gold medal. The movie teased in the film's marketing barrage over the past two months is not the movie you're presented with in actual cinemas. Appearances would lead movie goers to believe that a clever re-imagining of the Snow White fairy-tale would be awaiting them in the theater but instead we're given 2 hr and 07 minutes of The Lord of the Rings minus Gandalf, Frodo and Aragaorn. Which is kind of ironic considering that Viggo Mortensen was at one time locked in for the role of The Huntsman, played by Chris Hemsworth. Of course taking inspiration from The Lord of the Rings is not a criticism, just an observation on the point that the movie was not marketed as such and some viewers may be surprised and perturbed by this fact.
The acting trifecta of Hemsworth, Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron all do their best with the material they're given as each captures the energy of their respective characters perfectly; Hemsworth is a bumbling, drunken sometimes-accented huntsman sent to bring pure and innocent Snow White (Stewart) back to evil queen Ravenna (Theron) so that she may taker her heart and become immortal. The movement, body language, hand motions, etc.--- all the non-verbal nuances of acting are commendable from these fine actors and helps significantly to submerge the audience under reality and in to Rupert Saunders' fairy-tale kingdom. Unfortunately, the supporting cast is vastly underdeveloped which is a waste given the talent assembled there.
The first alarm bells will go off when you realize the first third of the film advanced at a bland and uninspired yet breakneck speed. Once The Huntsman finds Snow White, he literally becomes her ally and protector overnight and its at this point we leave the well known fairy tale behind to unsheathe The Sword of Elendil. Plot-wise, the next hour+ is standard sword and sorcery romp that could be found in any medieval fantasy movie. Further distracting are the truly head scratching exchanges that take place between Snow White and her fellowship. More often than not, scenes that are intended to endear Snow White to her compatriots fall flat and the whole notion of these individuals deciding to fight and put their lives on the line for a stranger seems exceptionally forced. That's no fault of Stewart, overall, she turned in a fine performance but an actress of her fame level has strengths and weaknesses that have been repeatedly dissected at this point in her career. There were far too many scenes where characters spouted lengthy dialogue at Stewart and her only response is a silent look that's left for the audience to interpret. Apparently, Saunders didn't get the memo.
Visually, this movie is astounding. It's clear that this was Saunders focus and on this front the movie is 100% successful. The imagery from this film will stay with you long after you exit the theater which bodes well for cinematographer Greig Fraser. There are very intelligent choices made regarding sunlight, movement and scale which go a long way towards helping Stewart to create her Snow White persona and establish an overall sense of purpose for the film. Don't be surprised when you see Fraser's name crop up for director gigs The musical score from James Newton Howard was average at best in its attempts to stand out in the genre. Providing a traditional sound with techno undertones the score often times clashed with the presentation on screen.
Even with all it's flaws, there's a good movie here. Anytime you have great visuals, there's potential for a good film to be made with a few judicial editing decisions. Sadly, there are too many distractions poking and prodding the beautiful cinematography of this film which ultimately never reaches it's potential. Snow White and The Huntsman receives----
6.5/10