Hollywood loves trends and this year is no different. The flavor of the month seems to be fairy tales, in particular the legend of Snow White. Earlier this year we had Julia Roberts and fellow actors yucking it up for the camera in the campy Mirror Mirror. Although it never really came together, Mirror was by large a more enjoyable movie experience than the heavy handed would be epic Snow White and the Huntsman. Produced by Joe Roth (Alice in Wonderland) and Sam Mercer (The Sixth Sense), the two make their first mistake by handing over the reigns of the film to first time director Rupert Sanders. Sanders has made a name for himself directing commercials but sadly this film won't do much for his resume.
Kristen Stewart bring her fearless, vacant stare she perfected in the Twilight Saga to her portrayal of Snow White as she flees from the tyranny of the evil queen Ravenna, played with relish from Oscar® winner Charlize Theron. Snow White and the Huntsman tries too hard to be a different telling of the legendary tale by being odd for odd's sake alone. Lots of bizarre imagery and some new muddled mythology of how Ravenna came to be but it feels just like that – a muddled retelling.
There's the mysterious dark forest, so dense the Huntsman and Snow White reminded me of characters from Apocalypse Now thrashing their way through the jungle and yet not dense enough from keeping the evil queen's brother and fellow bad guys from giving chase on horses. The scenes in the dark forest are oppressively claustrophobic then it juts off to the still untouched land of the fairies with an equally oppressive bright set that didn't fit in at all with the dark feel Sanders tries to panhandle us with.
The most glaring mistake the film has going for it though is that it doesn't jump on the trendy Hollywood bandwagon far enough by making it in 3-D. The film has the look and feel of a 3-D film but producers must have run out of money in their budget to convert it from 2-D and this literally leaves the film flat. Too bad too for maybe in 3-D the effort made might have made the rough edges of a not-so-good film smoothed out. 3-D effects could have purported this fairy tale along but here, as it stands there's no happy ending. Not even a kiss from a handsome prince could save Snow White and the Huntsman from being one rotten apple.
About the Author
Randy Leonhard is an actor, film fanatic, and Pittsburgh based critic. His passion for theater and film is matched by his admiration for social media. You can follow Randy on Twitter @discoverkip.
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