Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) Poster

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6/10
Who told Kristen Stewart she could be an actress?
marcia-varaschin5 June 2012
The movie is good (not great, though), specially because of the visual effects and Charlize Theron acting. She is great, beautiful, impressive, plays her role full of passion, as usual. Also I think there was no need for a 127 minutes picture. It could last less time, because in some moments I felt like they were just dragging it for no reason. I expected more, but all the problem is with Snow White choice. Kristen Stewart is like my refrigerator, no matter what I put in it (milk, soda, eggs, vegetables, meat), it is and it will always be a refrigerator. And so is she. She is always the same, no matter what role she is playing. If she can be an actress, so can my refrigerator. They are both cold and have no expression.
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5/10
Kristen Stewart ruined it
kittymallari2 August 2020
Out of all the actors in the world, why did they choose Kristen Stewart to play the main role? Just why?
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7/10
A Visual Masterstroke!
namashi_113 June 2013
Based on the German fairy tale Snow White, 'Snow White and the Huntsman' is A Visual Masterstroke, that comes across a delight to the eyes. And even in terms of story-telling, this dark adaptation gets it right.

'Snow White and the Huntsman' Synopsis: In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen.

'Snow White and the Huntsman' is gorgeous to look at. Each Frame looks magical thanks to the magnificent Cinematography by Greig Fraser & The Fantastic Graphics, that compliment the film.

Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock & Hossein Amini's Screenplay gives a twist in the tale of Snow White, making it dark & violent, but that works on its advantage, as its refreshing. Rupert Sanders Directs this fantasy-adventure superbly. His execution, in terms of visuals, is ovation worthy. Costume & Art Design are flawless.

Performance-Wise: Kristen Stewart as Snow White, delivers a sincere performance. Charlize Theron as Queen Ravenna, is purely evil. Chris Hemsworth as Eric the Huntsman, is fantastic. Ian McShane as Beith, Bob Hoskins as Muir, Johnny Harris as Quert, Toby Jones as Coll, Eddie Marsan as Duir, Ray Winstone as Gort & Brian Gleeson as Gus, are lovable as The Dwarfs.

On the whole, 'Snow White and the Huntsman' is a certainly a story worth watching.
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7/10
Snow White: Good but not great
malaysian178930 May 2012
Based on the popular fairytale ''Snow White'' comes the originally titled ''Snow White....and The Huntsman'' ,an epic fantasy film starring teen favourites Kristen Stewart (of Twilight fame) and Chris Hemsworth (of Thor/Avengers fame). Now, detailing the plot shouldn't be too hard, as we all know the story from childhood- Evil Queen (Charlize Theron) with talking mirror is hell-bent on killing her 'pure' step-daughter (Stewart) and hires a Huntsman (Hemsworth) to do the job for her. The Huntsman takes pity on the girl when he finds her, and together they become fugitives, going on a journey that involves meeting Dwarfs. Seven of them to be precise. What follows is a major battle between good and evil to determine who will reign over the Kingdom, the evil Queen or our heroine Snow White?

Now, I enjoyed this film a lot more than I thought I would, it reminded me a lot of Lord of The Rings, from the grand music to the mountain scenery, and it does feature a few spectacular fight scenes. Visually, this is an impressive film, however, the film focuses too much on visuals and not enough on characters, the Dwarfs are glossed over and never really given any time to engage with the audience, which is a shame, as the group contains excellent actors (Ray Winstone and Bob Hoskins, amongst others ). Kristen Stewart as Snow White seems to think she's still playing Bella from Twilight, (i.e no range of emotions, just a blank stare for the whole film), especially when opposite to her is Charlize Theron giving an amazingly dramatic performance as the Queen. To sum up, a good re-telling of a classic, but by no means as good as the Disney Classic which most of us remember.

7/10
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6/10
Not bad....
tchitouniaram10 February 2020
Not bad....Pretty good re-imagining of classic tale. Main complaint:the lead actress with her forever wooden performance,really got on my nerves...
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7/10
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (yes count them) reboot
HelenMary20 July 2013
I had no desire to see this film, but when I saw it on DVD I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed it, and was engrossed. Whilst a good film, it was far from original (and I'm not talking about it being an adaptation of the Grimm Fairy Tale), in that it was reminiscent of so many other films; swashbucklers like Robin Hood (especially the old Errol Flynn type versions), The Court Jester, Lord of the Rings, The Princess Bride and anything set in Narnia to name but a few. Whilst the comparison made for unoriginal watching and a feeling that I'd seen it all before, it didn't detract from the cinematographic event and time passing pleasantly in watching the film. The SFX were very good though nothing original (very LOTR), the acting was good and I disagree with other reviewers that say that Kristen Stewart was no good... I liked her performance, certainly better than Twilight, so she's not gregarious but I think she pitched the character well and she didn't write it! Chris Hemsworth was Thor-tastic, he's an incredible physical presence and I really liked his character and he was central to the modern take on the story. Of course Charlize Theron stole the show - she was sublime; beautiful, devious, broken, cunning, cruel, magnificently evil and absolutely barking mad, and the CGI surrounding her person and character were brilliant. The Dwarfs were played hobbit-style by various actors including the wonderful Nick Frost who had some good one-liners. The Dwarfs were a lot of the comedy of the story.

There were gripping moments throughout the film, lots of humour and fantasy and a great deal of daring-do-type action and overall It was very watchable. Snow White (the Disney version) was the first film I ever saw at the cinema, and I apparently was very frightened by some of the more psychologically disturbing imagery, which I question for children even now. Whilst I wouldn't recommend this for children, especially as it's live action rather than animation, the mental images - the psychological impact - aren't that different. A good family film if the children are a little older and there's certainly something in it for everyone.
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7/10
Nicely done!
vincentlynch-moonoi13 July 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Well, the first thing I have to get off my mind is to say, "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, you need glasses." Kristen Stewart is not close to being as beautiful as Charlize Theron. I'm not saying Stewart is some kind of ugly vampire or wolf creature, but geez...she's relatively average.

Having said that, this film is pretty entertaining. And, in some places, rather foreboding (for example, some of the scenes in the dark forest!). And in other places very lovely. The CGI contributes to the story, rather than overshadowing the story, as is so often the case now-a-days (although I wasn't too keen on the "black-shard-men" toward the climax.

The story doesn't quite follow the story-line we were all familiar with as kids. It's actually much better, although it is still the good against evil saga.

The key here is the acting. The let-down here for me was Kristen Stewart as Snow White. I'm sorry, but I am no more impressed with her here than I was in the Twilight films. I'm just not buying into her as a leading actress. And it's not because I don't like the Twilight films...although I don't. But I am finding Robert Pattinson to be a relatively promising young actor, and even Taylor Lautner has some charisma.

On the other hand, Charlize Theron seems to be the actress who pretty much do no wrong now. I've yet to see a bad performance by her, and here she is so good...though so evil. She's a stunning beauty, as well.

Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman was okay here. I need to see him in something else before I can make any overall judgment of his acting ability. But, for the most part, he doesn't appear in my kind of films.

On the dwarf side, rather interesting caricatures. Of course, Ian McShane is very good, as is Bob Hoskins. But I think the standout here is Toby Jones.

I give this film a very solid "7", and recommend it.
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3/10
Bad casting killed this one for me...
xalterax-mc1 June 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Well I saw huntsman the opening night, midnight showing. I went into it expecting something amazing. It was...alright. Honestly the visuals were really good. I enjoyed the how well Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron portrayed their roles and drew me into the story. The little girl that played Snow White at the beginning had me entranced, and everything was going great - then she grew up.

Kristen Stewart as the female lead really ruined the whole film for me. She was depressingly emotionless and despite everyone in the film's world wanting to save and protect a otherwise unlikable character due to the character's performance, left me neither identifying with nor liking the character. I felt for the little girl at the beginning, who was easily 5 times the actor Kristen Stewart was in this film.

Everyone I went with felt the same.

Throughout the film she is very quiet, and what lines she has aren't memorable at all (again, no emotion). Chris Hemsworth pours his heart out to her in one scene, and while she was asleep and ultimately it was his kiss that woke her...she goes on, cold and emotionless - feeling nothing for him. Very sad, as the first 10 minutes had me very excited for the rest of the film - but then it just fell apart when she failed time and time again to react or become a likable character.

She acts the same in the Twilight movies, as far as I understand - so I'll continue to stay away from those as well. The rest of the movie was a good production, though it dragged a little at parts. To avoid the same problem in the future, I will simply abstain from anything Kristen Stewart is in. If you want to see this, but haven't seen say - Avengers, see that instead.

I'd wait for Redbox on this one.
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6/10
Music and animation of the end title was actually the best
den-yo31 May 2012
Actors and acting was pretty good all the time.

Atmosphere and CGI was good too. Nothing outstanding but very nice.

Only the plot, the writing, the storyline was not good at all. The spark, which was present all the time, unfortunately did not become a flame. I don't think the directors is to blame here at all, much more the writers over-performed and ruined it somehow.

Although I throw up when it comes to twilight, Kirsten Stewart was perfect for the role of Snow White. She did a very good acting and could have been just much more if the storyline was not that bad. She and the other actors did their best and saved 6 from 10 stars, otherwise it would have been not more than 5 stars.

Actually the animation and the song (Florence And The Machine "Breath of Life") of the end title was the best part about the movie. Never saw it that nobody was leaving the theater through the end title.
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4/10
8 years between viewings...
mdjr111126 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this movie in 2012 when it came out. The concept is great. The visuals are appealing. Charlize Theron is excellent. Chris Hemsworth and Sam Clafin did fine jobs. Although the people portraying the dwarves gave convincing performances, it bothered me that production didn't use actors who are actually dwarves. And now the elephant in the story. Kristin Stewart. She has the emotional range and facial expressions of a person both heavily medicated and seriously botoxed. The only time her performance was convincing was when she lay 'dead' at the Duke's castle. She has nothing going for her that would possibly explain the adoration of anyone or anything. I know the character of Snow White is the fairest of the fair. Kristin Stewart is not ugly. But is in no way the most beautiful person of any scene in this movie, and will never match Charlize Theron. She was woefully miscast. Honestly even after her resurrection and her inspiring speech, I wonder why anyone would follow such an insipid person.

8 years between viewings, and still the same opinion. This movie would have been 1000% with a beautiful, charismatic actress whose face actually shows emotion in the title role. Still disappointed in that.
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8/10
Wonderful Dark Adaptation of the Classic Fairytale
claudio_carvalho18 November 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Once upon a time, King Magnus (Noah Huntley) and his Queen have a beautiful daughter, Snow White, who is raised with her best friend William. When the Queen passes away, the King grieves her death but has to fight against a dark invader army. He rescues a beautiful prisoner, Ravenna (Charlize Theron), and on the next day he marries her. On the wedding night, Ravenna stabs King Magnus on the chest and brings the enemy army led by her brother Finn (Sam Spruell) that destroys the King's army. Ravenna imprisons Snow White on the Northern Tower of the castle while William, his father The Duke and a few survivors escape from the castle.

Years later, the kingdom is completely depleted and Queen Ravenna, who is an evil witch, keeps her beauty draining the youth of young ladies. When the Magic Mirror tells that Snow White would be the source of her immortality, she asks Finn to bring the princess to her. However, Snow White (Kristen Stewart) escapes and flees to the Dark Forest. Queen Ravenna brings a Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) that misses his wife and she promises to bring her back to life provided he catches Snow White to her. But when he captures Snow White, he discovers that the evil Queen lied to him and he becomes the protector of the princess. Meanwhile William (Sam Claflin) learns that Snow White is alive and he heads to join Finn's men to meet her. The Huntsman and Snow White meet the eight dwarfs that bring them to the magic Fairytale Land. When they are attacked by Finn and his men, William also finds them and the group heads to the Duke's castle with the intention of beginning an uprising against the Ravenna. But the evil Queen will try to get her aimed immortality.

"Snow White and the Huntsman" is a wonderful dark adaptation of the classic fairytale "Snow White" by the Brothers Grimm and adapted to the cinema and immortalized by Walt Disney. The story is excellent, despite minor flaws like for example Snow White running and swimming after years imprisoned in a dirty tower, and is supported by a great screenplay, magnificent cinematography and CGI and good acting. There are unbelievable negative reviews in IMDb and my only remark is that the talented Kristen Stewart has never been more beautiful (actually, he uses the word The Fairest) than the gorgeous Charlize Theron, despite their difference of ages: the Magic Mirror is wrong. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Branca de Neve e o Caçador" ("Snow White and the Huntsman")
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Pretty To Look At But Very Shallow and Boring
Michael_Elliott19 June 2012
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

** (out of 4)

2012 will be the year of Snow White as here comes the fourth version of the classic tale behind MIRROR MIRROR as well as two direct-to-DVD releases. This one here features Kristen Stewart playing Snow White who gets thrown from her kingdom by the wicked Queen (Charlize Theron) who is in need of her youth. Soon a Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) is called upon to capture Snow White but when he understands what is going on he decides to join forces with her. SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN is a pretty looking film but there's really no meat on its bones and in the end we're left with a rather lifeless production that has some good stuff but in the end the film is just downright dull. There are quite a few problems with the picture but we can start with the casting. Stewart has proved herself to be a good actress and her work in stuff like THE RUNAWAYS have proved this but sadly she's miscast here. That dark, laid back approach works perfectly in TWILIGHT but here is just boring and it's quite obvious that this Snow White couldn't lead an ant colony let alone a kingdom. Not for a second did I believe Stewart in the role and the lack of a personality here really went against everything the character was. Theron isn't much better as the Queen. It's really hard to believe the type of performance she gives here because she goes so over-the-top that it reaches a level of where you just want to scream with how annoying the performance is. I'm not sure why Theron decided to scream so much but it really didn't do anything. Hemsworth is the one saving grace here and he actually delivers a good performance and makes much more of his role than what was on the pages. Sam Claflin isn't too bad as William but he shares no chemistry with Stewart. The CGI effects are actually pretty good here and especially the stuff dealing with the mirror as well as another scene where we see the Queen crawl out of some black tar. I also thought the scenery was quite great including the black forest and the beautiful green lands. The images here are much better than any bit of the story and that's a real shame. SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN is pretty to look at but sadly there's just no emotional connection to any of the characters. Worse of all is the fact that the film really drags in spots and for an action movie it's one of the most boring I've seen in a while.
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7/10
Keep in mind that it is a fairy-tale
xnonamex-313 June 2012
Warning: Spoilers
When going to this movie (my girlfriends choice) I was quite skeptical at first, but it turned out to be quite good. When reading all those bad reviews about the movie afterward I decided that I have to give some credit to it.

When going to this movie the most important thing is to keep in mind that it is a fairy-tale. And the events should not always be down to every little detail of the plot. It's the story in general that matters. Else of course, you could complain - why was she kept alive?; how could she fight if she was imprisoned all her life? how the hell could she carry a heavy plate armor? But as I said, in this type of movie that is not the point. Furthermore the princess should look beautiful in a fairy-tail... so coming out of the sewers nice and pretty is totally O.K

Talking about the actors. Yes. I think the greatest fuss is about Kristen Stewart. And honestly I had to keep reminding myself that this is another movie (not Twilight) and she is just an actress. And she really did her job well. Maybe she was not the perfect actor for the role, but that might be only my opinion. The rest of the actors also had their acting up, thus making this movie really enjoyable.

Furthermore this movie has a really great special-effects and visual graphics so making it really nice to look at.

So in general this can be a really enjoyable movie to watch on your free night if you can keep your mind open and can enjoy a good movie without trying to find every possible improbable thing in the script.
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1/10
Kristen Stewart in another cringe worthy performance.
kookybooboo13 May 2019
Everyone knows that Snow White is the fairest of all, that's why the Queen hates her so. In what alternate reality is Kristen Stewart prettier than Charlize Theron? That fact alone should have kept me from watching, not to mention that Kristen is one of the worst actresses ever. Chris and Charlize are the reason I decided to watch, even they couldn't save it. It is painful to watch her try to act.
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6/10
Doesn't quite hit the mark
Stevieboy6662 March 2018
Big budget, big A-list stars and some fantastic special effects, especially the many creatures that inhabit this fairy tale world, but, after a promising start, I found this film to flatten out somewhat midway through. Then it builds to a predictable but satisfying end. Too scary for young kids but not scary enough for big kids.
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7/10
A mixed bag
maryfrench788921 May 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Loved Kristen in this! She's exciting, moving and tough. When the armor comes on, she reminded me of Milla Jovovitch as Joan of Arc from "The Messenger." You really sense the loss she feels in the village of scarred women and the dwarfs' home when she sees people suffering because of her.

Chris Hemsworth is great, too. It took him what felt like a long time to show up, but once he is in, he rocked. The sequel is clearly going to be a love story with him and Snow White.

Theron is great at the beginning and end, strangely missing in the middle. The movie has some kinda awkward cuts back to her as if realizing they forgot about her being in the story. The weirdest is after not seeing the Queen for like an hour, they cut to her remembering her childhood and then she just says "Find her." Middle part is kinda slow, dwarfs really sucked, could've used some jokes or something to lighten things up sometimes. But it wakes up again once Kristen picks up her sword. Battle between her and the Queen is badass. Loved it for Stewart and Hemsworth, wish the script was better. (7 outta 10).
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Artistically Shallow And Ineptly Directed, Snow White Is a Wreck of a Story
TombRaider091 September 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Snow White and the Huntsman is a long film. It is made even longer by the fact that it is effectively a story about nothing, packed with poor performances, an average score and some truly terrible writing. The film has two saving graces though: a fiery performance by Charlize Theron and some amazing cinematography.

Let's start with the story. An evil, un-named queen (in these types of stories names are unimportant), rises to power by seducing the King (off-screen, of course) and killing him in his bed. Her reasoning for killing the king and seizing power is that men are pigs and can not be trusted with power. She proceeds to throw the King's daughter, Snow White, by throwing her in jail for the rest of her life. But, as soon as she learns that Snow White's heart could bring her eternal youth and beauty, she sends her Brother (who also, does not have a name), to bring Snow White to her for some lunch time heart-harvesting. Naturally, the princess escapes and a long, dull chase into two mystical forests ensue.

Here lies the film's two central problems. For one, if we were to care about the protagonist's fate, she should be a captivating, well-written and acted character, she is none of these things. Instead, she has almost no personality at all. Who is Snow White as a person? According to the story here, she is "life itself", "pure", and completely "good". Okay, but why? Does she do good deeds? What does it mean she is 'pure life? She just is. The writers didn't think it was important to SHOW these things, merely telling us that Snow White is a very good person should suffice. It doesn't. And if the writers assumed it did, they should be ashamed to be calling themselves storytellers.

On the other hand, we have the evil Queen, who wants to stay young forever. But unlike the dull Snow White, she actually acts out her attributes. She kills the King because she believes he merely uses women, but does not respect them. She allows the kingdom to wither, because she believes it doesn't deserve happiness. She is evil, because she believes that people deserve nothing more than evil to come their way. In the end, I agreed. Wiping out these lifeless characters is exactly what they deserve, and then some.

Unfortunately, the film concentrates almost completely on Snow White, played lifelessly and without emotion by Kristen Stewart, who has the incredible ability to find leading roles in big films without evidencing a shred of acting talent. Her co-star, Chris Hemsworth, does not help matters much, as he tries to carve some kind of a performance out of an under-written character, but there is only so much one can do with nothing.

In the end, the film's script is so terrible that some of the film's virtues, such as beautiful cinematography, can not overcome how bad the overall film is. Which is, truly terrible. It manages to be shallow in every conceivable way from shallow characters to a shallow story. The film has no moral to its story, it shows nor teaches us anything. It just goes from one pointless scene to another until credits roll. And by that time, you'll wish Snow White had been hacked to pieces to be never seen again.
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6/10
Decent Movie but lacked depth
johnboyjunior31 May 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I was really looking forward to this movie after seeing the trailer and having seen a real couple of duds in the past few weeks (Gone, Dark Shadows and the dictator to name but a few) I had high hopes it would renew my love for films.

The opening 15-20 minutes sets the scene of how things came to be with great locations and some tasty CGI we see How Queen Ravenna became queen and sole ruler of the Kingdom and what she did with Snow White.

Having Reluctantly watched the twilight movies I can safely say that Kristen Stewart brings very Little to the Role of Snow White. This is meant to be a Character who isn't a depressing, one more sad song away from self harming, empty shell of a person. It may fit in to her situation in the 1st half hour of the film but as the story progresses she remains the same emotionless bore. Are we meant to believe that woodland animals and faeries would be drawn to such a person. It amazes me how she was deemed the right choice for this movie.

The other Actors do a much better job, Charlize Theron is fantastic as the evil queen though a little over the top in places I think it helps convey how through time the effects of her magic have affected her mind. A scene where she is observed talking to the 'Man in the Mirror' brought me to this conclusion.

Chris Hemsworth is convincing as the rugged, down on his luck huntsman who is tasked to bring Snow White back to the queen. His character has some inner demons which are mentioned but we never really get to see them explored or resolved.

Other characters are introduced like Snow Whites child hood friend William who is pretty much an underused poor mans Legolas, with very little lines and little to no character development and the Dwarfs.

The dwarfs were one of the highlights of this film. They brought some much needed albeit brief comic relief. Considering the great actors included in their little ensemble they get very little screen time and even a Great Like Bob Hoskins has very few lines, one of which is prob the best in the film. (If you have seen trailer you know it already).

Snow White And The Huntsman is a decent movie not spectacular in any sense of the word. A few pacing problems in the middle. The locations do feel very grand and really help set the tone of the film. Some decent fight scenes, though the climatic battle is a little short, especially when you consider the size of the castle they are attacking. I would of liked to have had a little more Back story, How did Queen Raveena come to possess the Mirror? How did snow white pass time during her incarceration? How did the huntsman's wife die? (Again this is mentioned but we never get to see) and what did he do before she died? More action scenes were also needed.

I recommend this movie to anyone who likes a good fantasy romp with monsters and sword battles, just don't expect an epic on par with The Lord of the Rings
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7/10
Snow White and the Darker Side of the Story
DavidTL30 May 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Snow White and the Huntsman. It was good. Entertaining. Nice back story to Snow White and Queen Ravenna. Makes you feel sorry for Ravenna which was good, she used to be living on the streets in a medieval slum-like place where she and her family were treated badly, she wanted to rise up and become powerful. The power over-took her. Charlize Theron's performance was quite good, believable. Kirsten Stewart is actually quite good too. Puts on a good English accent and fits Snow White much more than Bella Swan. Her performance in the later part of the film is quite strong. Chris Hemsworth is practically playing Thor again, I assume that's the reason he was cast. His back-story was an obvious tear-jerker. The first part of the film was quite slow, but the second part as soon as the 'dwarfs' are introduced, the film becomes more fast-paced and exciting and humorous. The special effects are very good in all of the film, except two points where they are really bad, both involving the Queen. The clichés and predictability mainly kick in the last couple of scenes, but mostly because we all know the Snow White story before. The film felt like a cross between Lord Of The Rings and Princess Mononoke, with even a tiny bit of Braveheart. 7.5/10
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1/10
Entertaining but weak plot
labecker-388-1901574 June 2012
Warning: Spoilers
As a huge fan of fantasy books and films, I had very high hopes for this one... Especially when people said "oh, you liked Lord of the Rings? You'll love this!" The verdict? I now know who *not* to listen to next time. If your tastes are similar to mine, you tend to read the books before watching the movies and you don't really follow particular actors. So, really, I had high expectations for this film - and that might've been the problem... Charlize Theron played the evil queen well but I would've loved it if the film had delved further into the queen's history as several ideas were started but never really explained (I have a decent imagination but I don't really think, as a viewer, I should be entirely responsible for thinking up ways to connect the dots). For instance, why is the Queen able to feel everything her brother feels? Why did her mother decide to give her the spell rather than both her and her brother or just her brother? And why, once we get into the meat (or the attempt at the meat) of the story, did the Queen spare Snow White's life when she didn't yet know Snow White was "the fairest"? And if she did know, all the more reason! Why spare her?? The Huntsman was, I would argue, the best developed character - at least in comparison to the others. At the very least, you knew enough to explain his drinking problem and his bitterness... That said, his wasn't an overly complex character to portray. For exactly that reason, it seemed more than a little ridiculous that the Huntsman *alone* carried the romantic scenes between he and Snow White. For instance, at one point, as he leads Snow White through the forest, he takes a knife to her skirts (apparently he thought they were getting in the way). Snow White stares blankly at the Huntsman and it is only once he says "don't flatter yourself" that you realize the emotion Snow White was supposedly showing was chaste shock. Granted that, perhaps if I was more familiar with Kristen Stewart's acting, I might have recognized what she was portraying, but, on the other hand, I'm more of the mind that I shouldn't need to know your acting style in order to recognize so basic an emotion. This kind of jarring (not in a good way) and unbalanced acting was repeated at the end of the film when Snow White is crowned and the Huntsman enters the room. Looking at Snow White, one sees only a blank yet tearful smile, but when The camera turns to the Huntsman it dawns on you that there was supposed to be some sort of moment passing between them. All in all, the chemistry existed only on the side of the Huntsman, leaving much to be desired from Kristen Stewart's portrayal. And that, of course, brings us to Snow White. The character seems to borrow much from Joan of Arc to the point that one might wonder if she wondered into the wrong film. There is an attempt to develop the character but Ms Stewart seems to be little able to carry the development of what might have been a very strong female character. The only hint of real strength comes with Snow White's battle speech which would've been fantastic except for the utter lack of build up to this newfound strength of character. So, in spite of the best intentions, this moment came across as contrived. If only Kristen Stewart had managed to keep up that pace of energy throughout the rest of the film, it might have been more believable. So, unfortunately, though I had high hopes, I actually found myself rolling my eyes frequently and feeling a bit like I was watching someone show off all his "super awesome" visual effects - which *was* pretty cool... Just not enough to carry a story. In conclusion, if you count yourself as one who likes a good plot, great character development, and strong female leads... Either lower your expectations or skip this one entirely.
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7/10
An evocative and beautiful expansion on an old story
stuartwhyte30015 July 2016
This is an ensemble cast although the leads are exemplary in their service of the story. Scenes are well timed and the landscapes, locations, framing and art direction are quite exceptional when compared the film-making shown in other, perhaps more generic, films released contemporaneously (and since).

What the film does well is to marry the fantastical / allegorical content of the tale with a human / natural context. The locations provide suitable backdrop to the primary tone and emotion of particular scenes which should carry the viewer and the set design for close action and dialogue-driven parts are realistically executed, life-worn and substantial.

Possibly what is less well achieved is the overall 'package' of the film. I watched this at home and was able to pause and return to the film. If I had been in the theatre my attention may have strayed or it may have been fatigued by the volume of the well written score.

It seems unfair to haunt this film with criticism based upon the previous roles played by the cast. The optical impact, restrained visual effects, and story drive are to be most engaged with not the (unfortunately?) familiar starring actors.
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4/10
Wow. It's really bad.
moiyedh-744-10204919 May 2020
Kristen Stewards deserves an anti Oscar award. The birds in the movie had better emotions than her.
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9/10
Now This Queen is The Ultimate Villain
aharmas27 May 2012
Warning: Spoilers
When I saw the previews for both of the upcoming "Snow White" adaptations, I was excited. The take with Julia felt wrong, though it looked pretty good. When I saw Charlize fulminating eyes in "The Huntsman" I knew it would hard to miss the target. This film delivers because it goes back what inspired the original source: haunted forests, dirty, hopeless villages, dark, imposing castles, and an electrifying and literally heart-stopping villain. This one got as far away from Disney as it is possible and works as a perfect bookend to 75 years of attempts to capture the spirit of the original tale.

There are changes, and it is a very radical spin by making the heroine a stronger match to the diabolical queen, a bruised and bitter, yet majestic portrayal by the magical Theron, an actress who speaks volumes with a look, a quick glance, or a murderous stare. She is as impressive here as she was in "Monster". She wears the fabulous costumes by Atwood by an almost supernatural grace. She is worthy of every crown, every jewel, every outrageous outfit. She is great because her fantastical character feels almost real and is so powerful, that she is missed while she is not on the screen.

In this picture, Snow White is not a meek and scared child. She must confront unexpected dangers and her evil stepmother, and she finds courage pretty much where her enemy does, deep inside her soul or heart. Both understand why each's demise is crucial and vital to the other. For most of the film, Theron is in a crusade to kill White by taking a hold of her heart. Theron also knows this young princess is the only who can destroy her, and that is enough motivation for some amazing trickery.

There are plenty of breathtaking moments, from the powerful introduction of the duplicitous queen to the most fantastic display of magic on the screen involving fairies. This would inspire even Shakespeare to write a sequel to a couple of his comedies.It is gorgeous and wonderful scene that will have people talking for a while, and Spielberg must have inspired others to use a beautiful white stallion for maximum effect in a terrifying scene.

Be prepared to be surprised and entertained by many actors doing top work, and this is very hard considering how Theron owns the screen. Stewart does very good work as Snow White, but the movie belongs to Theron. She is the dark force that lives in the heart of many classics, and it is hard to picture anyone else doing anything remotely close.

A very good fairy tale, with plenty of heart.
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7/10
Snow White's 100th version
soger29 November 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Like many others, this version is not a tale for kiddies. It's a serious story including magic, love, politics, war. It's a little slow and long for my taste but still good. Lot of big names in the cast, I especially liked Charlize Theron who is as brilliant in this movie as ever.

A few fun facts about the movie:

  • The first thing we find out is that Charlize Theron is a wraith who suck the life out from people. She even has a device (i.e. the mirror) that's kinda like a stargate: it's a big round thing from which somebody emerges from time to time.


  • Listen carefully to the dialog, because apparently Snow White is The One. I always thought Neo was The One but whatever.


  • Thor can fight even without his hammer.


  • It seems that there's still a little bit of James' venom left in Kristen Stewart's blood because she resurrected for no apparent reason.


  • Kristen Stewart can handle vampires so why not a wicked witch.
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5/10
See it for the visuals, not for the story
enddetour7 June 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Plot: Warrior princess Snow White takes on the wicked queen with a little help from people she barely knows. Drive-in Rating: Yield right of way.

Just to get it out of the way, I don't understand the appeal of Kristen Stewart as an actress. She always has the look of a stuck up brat to me. There, done with the casting critique.

The movie was visually stunning and Charlize Theron made for a truly wicked-good Queen. Chris Hemsworth was compelling (in a vacuum) and the dwarfs (casting controversy aside) were engaging. I love that the writers know their fairy tales enough to remember what properly lives under a bridge!

...but I didn't find myself rooting for the entitled heroine or her comrades. The story idea was good enough but the writers tried to pack so many concepts into 127 minutes that they forgot a little character and conflict development. Even the most compelling scenes, the final kiss for example, left much to be desired (I'm not spoiling anything by telling you there's a kiss, it's a well-known plot point in the fairy tale). In addition, there were some unacceptable leaps in logic (for example, what compelled the Queen's brother to tell the Huntsman the truth about his wife?).

And finally, is there an award for the least compelling title of the year? "Fairest Blood" immediately comes to mind as a reasonable alternative.

If you pay to see this in the theater, make sure it's because you want to see the visuals on the big screen.
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