“Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who’s the fairest of them all?” We all know the story of Snow White; but The Huntsman Winter’s War tells “the story before Snow White.” I walked into the theater with a bit of trepidation because I had heard that the movie wasn’t that good, but I have to say that I disagree with those who didn’t like the movie at all.
The overall theme of the movie makes viewers question whether love is someone’s greatest strength or biggest weakness, and whether love brings out a person’s best traits or releases one’s inner demons.
The movie has a great cast, including Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, and Chris Hemsworth. Charlize Theron looks absolutely stunning as Snow White’s wicked stepmother Ravenna. Her character is far more evil than the stepmother in Disney’s animated version of Snow White. Poisoning apples is mild compared to the mayhem Ravenna, the epitome of a villain, brings to those who stand in her way.
Emily Blunt plays Ravenna’s sister Freya, who reminds me of Elsa in Disney’s movie Frozen. Freya’s heart is turned to ice after an unspeakable betrayal, but instead of singing “Let It Go,” she creates an army to help her take over all the land that she desires. Blunt should feel blessed to have been cast in this role because she now knows how gorgeous she will look someday when her real hair turns white. Her character is cruel, but viewers will connect with why she is literally and metaphorically so cold.
Jessica Chastain plays the character Sara, a young girl turned into a fierce warrior by the ice queen. It was initially hard seeing Chastain, who I adored when she played Celia Foote in the movie The Help, in fight scenes. Sara is a woman on a mission, and her only flaw, if you want to call it that, is her inability to follow Queen Freya’s singular rule. It was refreshing to see a woman cast in such a powerful, action-packed role.
Chris Hemsworth is the Huntsman, whose real name is Eric. Undeniably strong and handsome, Hemsworth’s smile lights up the screen, and his intensity in fight scenes will have viewers rooting for him every time. Because the movie is set in a fantasy land where there are castles and mountains and Hemsworth has an Australian accent, the movie brought to mind Braveheart. I was almost anticipating the William Wallace quote delivered by Mel Gibson. “I love you. Always have. I want to marry you.” Eric’s deep feelings for his true love run just as strong as Wallace’s.
While there were so many parts of The Huntsman Winter’s War that brought to mind other movies, including non-threatening smaller lookalikes of Lord of the Ring’s Smeagol, the overall story itself was all its own. There were lots of choreographed fight scenes that weren’t gory or too long, a few humorous scenes, plenty of fascinating special effects, beautiful scenery, and a sweet romance that will have viewers pulling for true love to conquer all. My only criticism of the film is that the only real connection to Snow White was the mirror on the wall, which looked more like a giant, golden platter rather than an actual mirror.
My neighbor Kelly attended the movie with me, and she was equally surprised that she liked the film. She said, “I would recommend it. It’s definitely not for kids, but if you like action films, you’ll like it. I thought a few scenes were a little predictable, but it was good.”
Is The Huntsman Winter’s War the fairest of them all? You decide.
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Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama
Director: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
Actors: Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Jessica Chastain, Emily Blunt, Nick Frost, Rob Brydon,
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour 54 minutes
