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Mirror, mirror on the wall, was Snow White and the Huntsman worth my fare at all? Distancing itself from the cutesy Disney version, this movie achieved its goal of retelling the classic story with a darker and grittier tone. With Lord of the Rings-esque scenery and hardcore fight scenes, this movie is visually stunning from beginning to end. Good acting from the rookies and veterans helped to create a believable storyline, though it may not replace the Disney classic just yet for most movie-goers.

For those who haven’t been spoon-fed this Grimm tale all of their lives, the basic story revolves around an evil queen who yearns to be “the fairest of them all” as told by her magic mirror. She orders a huntsman to kill the competition, Snow White, and to bring back her heart. Snow White escapes, meets up with some dwarves, eats a poison apple, falls into a deep sleep, and a handsome prince awakes the princess with a kiss. But in this version, this movie shakes up the conventional plotline in a refreshing way.

I do admit, I sighed when I heard that Twilight-starlet Kristen Stewart was headlining as the famous princess. I think the rest of the Internet was - along with me - not thrilled of her past performances as the dreary-yet-emotionless-face Bella Swan in the Twilight saga. But, she proved me wrong and actually showed some emotion other than just angst. Proving that princesses can fight back for her kingdom, she suits up alongside her countrymen, and actually shows some compassion for once.

Showing emotion was no problem for her co-stars Charlize Theron (Queen Ravenna) and Chris Hemsworth of Thor/Avengers fame (The Huntsman). Theron’s hell-bent demeanor shined through as the evil Queen, proving she’s still an acting powerhouse. Hemsworth started off as the drunken token hunter, but turned around to being a compassionate companion to Snow White. The big surprise for me was the recognizable faces for the seven dwarves, but don’t expect to see Doc, Dopey or Grumpy. The British actors casted as the seven dwarves bring in some comic relief yet actually have a part in the overall plot, which I wasn’t expecting with this new twist (and the name change). This rendition’s PG-13 rating should be taken seriously for parents with younger children, as the Dark Forest scenes were pretty frightening for me, a 21-year-old.

While I credit the screenplay for adding some unfamiliar characters like Ravenna’s brother and Prince William, these characters just don’t seem to add sustenance to the overall storyline. I did enjoy the background stories for both Ravenna and Snow White, but dragging on their minor characters seemed to overload the screen at times with out of place scenes.

With great uses of CGI, decent acting, awesome battle sequences and a good rewriting of a classic fairytale all around, this is a movie that can contend with the larger-than-life summer blockbusters and fairytale remakes being churned out.

Until next time,
Rachel