Director Rupert Sanders takes the noticeable notions of Snow White and blends them with several interesting plot twists to give it a new car smell.
“Snow White and the Huntsman” is an interesting take on the well-known fable.
For the most part, the main characters are still intact although some function in a different capacity.
The movie is based more on the original German rendition collected by the Grimm Brothers.
The scene, the characters and make-up of the characters all show great contrast.
Ravenna (Charlize Theron), otherwise known as the evil queen and the antagonist of the story, is always seen in dark flowing dresses as a symbol of darkness. Her character is pure evil, but her skin is perfect in the light; it glows.
The clear contrast between protagonist and antagonist was apparent as well. While Ravenna plays the beautiful blonde, Snow White (Kristen Steward) plays the mysterious brunette. Their personalities are also polar opposites.
Symbolically and literally the movie is a clash of good versus evil and dark versus light.
Snow White and Ravenna balance each other perfectly.
Theron’s character has a well-developed background.
As a child, while her village is being ripped apart by an outside army, her mother concocts a spell that allows Ravenna to use her beauty and manipulative skills to take power.
As for Stewart, if you can view her as a character other than “Bella” you can appreciate the performance. She is a good manifestation of the “skin white as snow; hair black as night” definition of Snow White.
Stewart’s portrayal was believable and she was able to shed her “Twilight” image with this role.
Theron was a perfect choice to play Ravenna. She effectively portrayed the depth of the evil queen’s character and fully captured her shallow insecurities.
Theron was believable in depicting the lows of having a constant need to be pretty as well as requiring that narcissistic validation in order to survive.
The coma is a less vital part of this movie.
The embattled princess only spends a small amount of time in the famed apple-induced coma. That sounds ridiculous in terms of the story, but in the context of the movie it makes sense. A coffin is too passive for Snow White, and she remained unconscious for only a short amount of time.
“Snow White and the Huntsman” features a much more active namesake.
It is Snow White who rallies the former inhabitants of her father’s kingdom at Duke Hammond’s palace. It is Snow White who escapes Ravenna’s clutches due to her resourcefulness. In the end, it is Snow White who struck the final blow on the queen and restored the kingdom to its rightful place.
Although the plot is different from the original, it makes sense. It is engaging and solid.
“Snow White and the Huntsman” is worth a trip to the theater.