Continuing the modern habit of twisting the fairy tale around (see Red Riding Hood), we see Snow White (Kristen Stewart) escaping from her cell where the evil Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) has had her imprisoned since she was a child to set out and find her father's army to take her down.
See, Ravenna murdered the king (Noah Huntly) shortly after marrying him and proceeded to wreak havoc in his kingdom.
Ravenna's endless beauty comes from sucking the beauty out of younger people but once the Mirror tells her that Snow White is fairer than her she decides to kill her in order to have everlasting youth.
So, once Snow White has escaped she summons the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to track her down in the Dark Forest (where she has no power) and bring her back to the castle. When he realises he has been tricked the Huntsman becomes her protector as she searches for Duke Hammond (Vincent Regan) and reclaims her rightful place as the princess and heir to the throne.
Snow White's young friend William (Sam Claflin) discovers she is alive and also heads out to bring her home, teaming up with the Queen's force to find her.
I had a few problems with this film.
First, I think Kristen Stewart was horribly miscast. She just looks almost exactly like Bella Swan from the Twilight movies so it is hard to see her as Snow White.
I expected more from Theron, I expected an evil queen along the lines of Anna from the updated V series - a villain that made your skin crawl. But Theron's Ravenna behaved like a spoiled brat and just did a lot of shouting. Pretty disappointed there because I love a good villain.
There were some good moments, particularly when Snow White meets the dwarfs and is taken into their fairy land. And, admittedly some of the action is pretty well done.
With regard to the original story - yes, we do hear 'Mirror, Mirror on the wall....' etc, there is a poison apple, seven dwarfs (though not with the traditional names), and a kiss that awakens Snow White.
I wouldn't say I was bored through the film but I certainly wasn't captivated. The soundtrack isn't bad but I think the biggest problem lies in the casting and the character of Ravenna. They should have opted away from two actors in massive franchises at the moment - Stewart, as mentioned, just looks like Bella, and Hemsworth is not that much unlike Thor (aside from the obvious hammer and costume).
I suspect there will be a sequel here and I think they are battling uphill if they think it will be better than this mediocre offering. A 6 out of 10. See it if you must but you're not missing anything if you don't.
