I am happy that Cynthia has picked Snow White & the Huntsman for our Movie Review Squad outing. TK did not object. Hooray! As a huge fan of Kristen Stewart, I would say, this film does not disappoint. Plus, I heart Twilight Saga. There are at least two scenes in this movie I would ask myself: Am I watching Twilight?
I have repeated this story many times to my friends. Since it is relevant to what I am trying to say, so bear with me. Since young, my mother disallowed me from watching TV. Reading novel was my only entertainment as a kid. Therefore, I have not heard of Snow White or Jack and the Beanstalk. Hard to believe, I know. But I just do not know of any of these stories. Halfway through the movie, I was puzzled about the plot. So, I whispered to Cynthia: Isn’t this Sleeping Beauty? She giggled, trying very hard not to laugh out loud in the cinema, and she replied: NO!
I really thought that Snow White and Sleeping Beauty are the same story. I mean, the girl has fallen asleep. And there is an evil queen somewhere. A prince too. I was genuinely confused because, well, Snow White & The Huntsman is nothing like what I have expected. Kids, this is not a fairy tale. There is bloodshed in this movie. And plenty more.
Snow White & The Huntsman is a contemporary interpretation of the Walt Disney classic. My little niece and nephew in Indonesia adore Snow White. They can recite word-by-word even before the lines come out. In that classic cartoon, Snow White the character has black hair, fair skin, red lips, and she moves with grace. In this movie, Kristen Stewart too has black hair, fair skin, red lips, and a would-be-vampire look. Grace, I don’t think she has. She hunches a bit (like in her Twilight movies) with this hesitant, vulnerable look. I have no idea why a Hollywood star does not have a good posture (compare her with Charlize Theron). Cynthia defended her by highlighting the fact that Kristen has to act with a lack of confidence. Hence the hunch. I suppose she has a point. Kristen Stewart’s version of Snow White has been locked inside a prison for a very long time after all.
Charlize Theron, the once upon a time sexiest woman on earth, is scary in this movie. Truly scary. She screams at the camera as though she is screaming at me. Charlize is totally into this evil queen character. Cynthia thought that she acts really well. As for me, I thought she has over-dramatized her part. Is she beautiful? Without a doubt. When she is not aged by the CGI technology that is.
Then we have Chris Hemsworth from Thor. He is the huntsman. I still don’t think he can act. But he does have his emotional moment that moves me, slightly. He has plenty of action too, which he does it well.
There are awkward moments in Snow White & The Huntsman. Moments that do not make sense. Corpse kissing is one. Reciting Our Father prayer in a fantasy world filled with fairies, dwarfs, and a troll is another. Cynthia was quite mad that the scriptwriter has incorporated a Christian prayer into a fantasy movie. I was pretty cool about it. Isn’t God omnipresence? She rolled her eyes thinking that I have played too much video games.
TK thinks that this film is average. In fact, I am surprised that he has stayed awake throughout the movie because he couldn’t even stand Twilight. I have enjoyed watching Snow White & The Huntsman, mainly because I am a fan of Kristen Stewart since her days in Panic Room. Is this movie entertaining? Yes. Will I watch it again? Probably no. The good thing is, unlike Twilight, you don’t have to wait for 5 years in order to see the ending.