Snow White and the Huntsman

A spectacular thing and surprisingly quite entertaining. Visually it is very attractive and captivating. Kristen Stewart has finally escaped her role in Twilight and showcases a confident performance. The plot is solidly tangled, the pacing is just right, and you don’t have much room to get bored. It may not become a classic, nor is it a timeless thing, but a sequel would certainly not be a bad idea, and I was surprised by the precision with which they tackled it from a formal perspective. Visually more daring than, for example, the latest Jackson's Hobbit. (23/05/2013)

Three and a half stars. The following things in particular are unfortunate: That Kristen Stewart is not even prettier, let alone more beautiful than Charlize Theron (but that's my subjective feeling, I know), that she has one expression throughout the film, and that the speech before the battle, already a ridiculous enough moment, is even more ridiculous given her performance. That the absolutely brilliantly cast dwarves (Ian McShane in particular!) only actually flicker through the film. That the writers screwed the prince into the plot so violently, when they could have left him out. That the "rip-offs" of The Lord of the Rings are so obvious. That some things are not understandable (or more understandable) - for example, waking up with a kiss (really, it's weird). And that's about all I could fault Snow White and the Huntsman for. Otherwise, it's a typical fantasy with impeccably atmospheric scenes in the dark and fairy forest, an excellent queen, an overly sympathetic Chris Hemsworth and a great Newton-Howard soundtrack. (20/06/2012)

The awesomely beautiful Charlize and her initial intro get you almost immediately. And they don’t leave you for the entire movie. Sanders has a firm director’s hand, superb visuals (beautiful when required, dirty if needed) and everything ticks over nicely. The production design looks appropriately high-flown and has the requisite Lord of the Rings gilding. Kristen is great, but it seemed to me that he spoke too little for the main protagonist and draws very little attention to himself. Chris Hemsworth rocks again in the role of an inebriated hunter with a troubled past, and the meticulously cast dwarves were welcome and added a pile of laughs. Howard’s music is a pleasure to listen to. This is more or less what I had imagined it was going to be. Hail the Queen! (14/06/2012)

Exactly on the border between darker fairy tale and cautious fantasy, but personally I was hoping for something a bit higher. The situation must occasionally be explicitly saved by the beautiful Kristen and the warrior Hemsworth, for whom the roles of unruly and vulnerable heroes will be a career destiny. Howard (and Florence+The Machine) fantastically reign in the soundtrack, fantastic creatures appear cautiously in regular doses, and passages like walks through the enchanted fairy forest can take your breath away for minutes in advance, so what's the problem? For me, it's clearly with the queen. Charlize and her evil queen simply didn't convince me with her performance and portrayal of the character throughout the two hours, whether she was bathing in milk or menacingly threatening whomever she wanted, I just nervously fidgeted and waited for any kind of change. Sanders sympathetically changes notoriously known plot moments (although he doesn't fully execute that crucial and most anticipated change until the end), but in the very end, the overall impression remains too hesitant. (09/09/2012)

I was looking forward to Snow White and the Huntsman. I am always looking forward to a fantasy. And it’s even more pleasant when I see it’s the director’s first proper movie. Hats off for the imagination of the Snow White’s world. I really liked that. Even though it was narrated well, the story was a routine one. In fact, the whole movie is really obvious and if you know the original story and can imagine it in the form of a narrative fantasy story like Lord of the Rings, the result will look like this movie. Kirsten Stewart could finally stop staring open-mouthed at everyone around her, but that was about the only flaw I could find with the actors. They performed their best and that is a good thing. Next time it would be better with less digital effects. The two castles could definitely have been made less monumental and more real to give the fantasy movie the realistic feel it deserves. At least in that respect. (25/04/2013)