Snow White and the Huntsman

So, can Kristen Stewart hold her own at the box office? The answer is no, but luckily for this movie, Charlize Theron can. Snow White and the Huntsman is the darker, live-action take on the classic. To be honest, I wasn't really fussy on the Disney version, I can't pin-point why, maybe it was too scary for me. Anyways, this new one was really cool, mostly because Charlize was so amazing as the Queen and the CGI was breathtaking. Theron was beautiful and terrifying and mesmerizing. I would have liked a little more insight into her character, though. When we first meet her, she says something to the effect of once being traded in by a king for a younger model, which explains her preoccupation with youth, but we don't get the whole story. And then we later see her mother giving her the magical powers in a flashback, but it's kind of fuzzy about how legit three drops of blood are for giving people powers. Moral of the story: don't questions the gaps and you'll be fine; Charlize Theron is literally and figuratively spellbinding.

Kristen Stewart plays Snow White. I would just like to put it out there that she is never called by her name, she's referred to as the king's daughter etc. etc. but I'm pretty sure I never heard anyone call her "Snow White". I could be wrong, if anyone reads this and then watches the movie, I could use some back up. Anyways, I thought it was strange, also, the Huntsman doesn't have a name at all, which was less of an issue for me, but still, something seems amiss. So Kristen Stewart as Snow White... I hate to say this, but she just isn't good-looking enough. Her skin isn't nearly white enough, her lips not red enough. There was the odd moment or two when I could see it, and she was almost believable, but then she did her pouty face, and she was Bella all over again. I could tell she was trying really hard not to bite her lip, and I appreciated the effort, but it wasn't enough. The friend I watched it with said "I kept waiting for Edward to jump out", and I'm not saying that people can't rise above a franchise, I think Daniel Radcliffe will do great things outside of Harry Potter, but for KStew, this just wasn't it for her. She is the same sad, awkward self. She tried to inspire the masses at the end to fight, and it was just weak. Also, the brother's haircut was distracting.

As a whole though, this movie works really well. The dwarfs are all I hoped they would be, the dark forest was awesome, the fairy-land was beautiful, and there was this over-arching feeling of whimsy and magic. They romance storyline is kind of down-played at the end, which was kind of a disappointment, but also nice to see the strong female remain as such, and not melt under the charms and handsomeness of the love-interest.

There is some back info missing, and KStew wouldn't have been my first choice, but definitely an enjoyable movie.