When Snow White Becomes Dark -- Snow White and the Huntsman Movie Review

 POTATO ON THE GO (Movie):

Recently, we have witnessed the influx of movie adaptations of well loved fairy tale classics such as Alice in Wonderland and Red Riding Hood.  But more than just bringing it to the big screen, these movies are turned to plots that adults can enjoy, hence making it a little dark, if not totally black.

For me, this is the route that the movie Snow White and the Huntsman took but while I was not quite impressed (Alice in Wonderland) and totally disappointed (Red Riding Hood) with the two titles I mentioned above, this one didn't fail me this time around!  This is what I witnessed at the premiere night staged by Solar Entertainment Corporation - United International Pictures last May 30 at the SM Cinema Megamall.

In the epic action-adventure Snow White and the Huntsman, Kristen Stewart (Twilight) plays the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen (Oscar® winner Charlize Theron) who is out to destroy her. But what the wicked ruler never imagined is that the young woman threatening her reign has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, Thor) who was dispatched to kill her.  Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) joins the cast as the prince long enchanted by Snow White’s beauty and power. The breathtaking new vision of the legendary tale is from Joe Roth, the producer of Alice in Wonderland, producer Sam Mercer (The Sixth Sense) and acclaimed commercial director and state-of-the-art visualist Rupert Sanders.

We grew up with the more child friendly Snow White and The Seven Dwarves but in this version, Snow White's story grew up.  The evil queen becomes more evil, the prince charming becomes less charming and Snow White becomes less lady like but braver and stronger.  I guess it's best to say that this version is not totally for children (in fact it's PG 13!)  :).  But although this Snow White grew up and became dark, it still sticked to the basic elements of the story but with a little twist.  Aside from the three I already mentioned (Evil Queen, Snow White and Prince Charming), the Huntsman is there but his role gets bigger this time around, the x number of dwarves (I can't reveal the number yet hehe), the apple sans the original way how it was used as bait, the more sophisticated mirror, the kiss which becomes complicated and the modified hunt of Snow White. 

I like how the story was told because each stage is revealed in a suspense filled and intense way.  In fact, I felt I was watching kingdom themed movies / series such as Game of Thrones, King Arthur, Braveheart and the like.  The movie was able to hook the audience from start to finish,  Each scene is unveiled in a way that will keep you asking for more!

Well applauded is Charlize Therone's portrayal of the evil queen.  Her character is too bad that you may want to curse her but everytime she shows her queenly elegance, you'll be helpless falling for her poisonous beauty.  But don't get me wrong, when I say beauty, that doesn't mean it's plain physiological.  The way she carries herself is really captivating and her performance... it's really first class!  I know this is not the usual acting vehicle but who knows, she may get another Oscar nomination for this!  :)

Of course, art direction is magnanimous!  From costume to set, from make-up to props, everything is pleasing to the eyes.  I am particularly mesmerized with the enchanted land and carried away at the dark land.  Special visual effects is also at its best, especially on the evil queen!  Her frequent display of power and transformation is something to watch out for.  And of course, music and sound complemented the adventure filled story telling of this Snow White adaptation.

There is a scene stealer in the movie.  But it's not a character.  It's the set of unexpected humorous scenes.  While we are carried away with film's mysteries and suspense, once in while, some punchlines will be thrown out!  It's surprising and it eventually elicits huge laughter from the audience but those funny moments were injected smoothly in the script.

I got interested that Kristen Stewart will be portraying Snow White but I think I saw a lot of "Bella" in this movie.  I don't know if they have the same character but I really wished Kristen could have dome something more different.  In fact, her love triangle dilemma is somehow reflected here.  :)  Well, her fight scenes is something new, although I find it intriguing how Snow White learned her combat skills since she was imprisoned in their castle's tower since childhood.  Chris Hemsworth as Hutsman drove the female crowd crazy but to be fair with him, he's effective in his role, as how the Huntsman were designed for this movie -- rough but with heart.  He delivered. 

The unfolding of the story is indeed heart pounding but it slows down at the early second half of the film when Snow White joins the dwarves and the story became more loyal to the original fairy tale.  The film however rose and gave a strong kick at the last quarter towards the end.  And from what I saw, I can sense a sequel to this movie. 

In general, Snow White and the Huntsman is a spectacular movie which I recommend for people to watch.  From a scale of 1 to 10 claps, I'm giving this movie adaptation a royal 7 claps!

From Universal Pictures and distributed by United International Pictures through Solar Entertainment, Snow White and the Huntsman opens in theaters on June 01 so make sure you don't miss this awesome movie!  :)  Here's the official full movie trailer of the film.

And this has been a life's mix TaDified!  :)