Beam's Blog of Writing and Other Things.

As mentioned in one of my previous blog posts, I was going to the movies sometime this weekend with my grandmother to see Snow White and the Huntsman. To be quite honest, I've been interested in the movie even way back when the cut-outs and posters were all over the place, mostly for the fact that Kristen Stewart plays Snow White. I realize she's a rather polarizing actress, but having seen her work from her pre-Twilight era, I quite like her.

And if nothing else, this movie quite proved that she's capable of acting well when given a decent script.

This is probably going to be relatively short, largely because I don't want to spoil the movie too much for anyone who is interested in seeing it or going to see it soon. However, I don't think it's a spoiler to say right from the start that this is an AU of the Snow White story, at least, compared to the Disney version I grew up with (also, who the hell saddles their kid with a name like 'Snow White'? Sheesh, I imagine being a princess was the only thing that saved her from being ruthlessly bullied!).

The story starts with the birth of Snow White, and her mother dies several years later. Her father eventually goes and marries the woman who becomes the Queen, and the antagonist of the film. The Queen kills the king, gains control of the kingdom with her brother, and imprisons Snow White until she comes of age, at which point Snow White escapes when the Queen's brother attempts to take her to the Queen so that the Queen may consume her heart and gain immortality.

(As a side note, I quite liked the contrast between the Queen and Snow White. It's rare to see a blonde, blue-eyed villain and a dark-haired, dark-eyed heroine. It's a nice little spin on the whole 'darkness vs light' contrast, since the Queen represents darkness while Snow White represents light.)

Both the Queen and the Huntsman have expanded roles in this movie, compared to the original Disney tale; the Queen is given a sympathetic backstory to explain her origins, and the Huntsman goes from a man who was hired to kill Snow White to a man who mentors her and eventually falls in love with her. Snow White herself is a little flat in comparison, but the movie shows her kindness and determination compared to the Queen, so you can understand why people believe in her and follow her.

I did have some minor quibbles with the movie (Why did the Queen keep Snow White alive all these years? And the romance feels a bit of a tacked on second plot, though it's by no means a hindrance to the main story.), but overall it was a solid, enjoyable little film that tried a different take on the Snow White legend, and in my opinion succeeded in telling it.

Final verdict: by no means is it a deep, life-altering experience, but if you enjoy seeing dark retellings of fairy tales along with some action, this is the movie for you. During those two hours and seven minutes I was genuinely invested in the world and the story of the characters, and in my book any movie that can do that is a movie worth seeing at least once. Will definitely be purchasing it on DVD when it's released.