Saw "Snow White and the Huntsman"
I liked it, but I was left wanting more.
I felt like they were trying to do a really epic movie, but not have an epic running time. That creates problems. This movie avoided, I think, the worst problems (dropped plot threads, gaping plot holes), but ended up feeling like someone had chopped out non-essential bits that would've added a lot to the story.
Most major among those was Snow White being trained for battle. She kind of goes from zero to badass without anything in between. She's a brave girl, and clever, but I wish they'd stuck something in about her learning how to use a sword and fight. Supposedly, the Huntsman trained her, and I wish they'd showed even a little of it. It would also have given her a stronger bond with the Huntsman, and, hey, look at the title.
Acting-wise, the movie was fairly great. Charlize Theron chewed up every bit of scenery she could, and the dwarfs were just as fun as a bunch of great character actors could make them. Chris Hemsworth was excellent, and Kristen Stewart did a fine job, too. She's not the most dynamic of actresses, but the only complaints I have about her Snow White have more to do with the script. I don't think it did well by her. Several times, she was left with nothing to do but stand there and stare.
Which was doubly frustrating, as they spent a great deal of time on Queen Ravenna's character. By the end of the film, you know a lot about her, partially thanks to the script favoring her, partially because Charlize kills it. I just wish they'd gone into the same depth for Snow White.
Anyway, that's my frustration. What I liked:
--Ravenna's brother, Finn, did a lot to sell me on her character. He manages to be creepy, pathetic and even sympathetic at times. Sam Spruell's one to watch.
--Did I mention the dwarfs were great? Because they are.
--Brilliant bit of world-building with the all-female fishing village, where mothers scar their daughters' faces to protect them from the Queen. Given what happens to Lily Cole (and is implied to have happened to the Huntsman's wife), it's probably the best choice in a sucky situation.
--The love triangle was a non-issue. Sure, Snow and William were childhood sweethearts who find themselves reconnecting, and sure, she and the Huntsman might have something growing between them, but, in the end, what matters is getting her on the throne, and Ravenna off. We don't know who she ends up with, and it doesn't matter.
--Snow White feeling compassion for Ravenna as she's dying. "You can't take my heart," she says, meaning that Ravenna's cruelties haven't hardened her. She hasn't lost the treasure her mother saw in her, and that's what will make her a good queen.
I felt like they were trying to do a really epic movie, but not have an epic running time. That creates problems. This movie avoided, I think, the worst problems (dropped plot threads, gaping plot holes), but ended up feeling like someone had chopped out non-essential bits that would've added a lot to the story.
Most major among those was Snow White being trained for battle. She kind of goes from zero to badass without anything in between. She's a brave girl, and clever, but I wish they'd stuck something in about her learning how to use a sword and fight. Supposedly, the Huntsman trained her, and I wish they'd showed even a little of it. It would also have given her a stronger bond with the Huntsman, and, hey, look at the title.
Acting-wise, the movie was fairly great. Charlize Theron chewed up every bit of scenery she could, and the dwarfs were just as fun as a bunch of great character actors could make them. Chris Hemsworth was excellent, and Kristen Stewart did a fine job, too. She's not the most dynamic of actresses, but the only complaints I have about her Snow White have more to do with the script. I don't think it did well by her. Several times, she was left with nothing to do but stand there and stare.
Which was doubly frustrating, as they spent a great deal of time on Queen Ravenna's character. By the end of the film, you know a lot about her, partially thanks to the script favoring her, partially because Charlize kills it. I just wish they'd gone into the same depth for Snow White.
Anyway, that's my frustration. What I liked:
--Ravenna's brother, Finn, did a lot to sell me on her character. He manages to be creepy, pathetic and even sympathetic at times. Sam Spruell's one to watch.
--Did I mention the dwarfs were great? Because they are.
--Brilliant bit of world-building with the all-female fishing village, where mothers scar their daughters' faces to protect them from the Queen. Given what happens to Lily Cole (and is implied to have happened to the Huntsman's wife), it's probably the best choice in a sucky situation.
--The love triangle was a non-issue. Sure, Snow and William were childhood sweethearts who find themselves reconnecting, and sure, she and the Huntsman might have something growing between them, but, in the end, what matters is getting her on the throne, and Ravenna off. We don't know who she ends up with, and it doesn't matter.
--Snow White feeling compassion for Ravenna as she's dying. "You can't take my heart," she says, meaning that Ravenna's cruelties haven't hardened her. She hasn't lost the treasure her mother saw in her, and that's what will make her a good queen.