Snow White & the Huntsman

[Dr.Epic]

Please remember spoilers folks.:smallwink:

So I haven't seen it but am wondering if it's worth my time/money. The trailers look good. As a huge fan of fantasy it seems well made. The film looks like a cross between Peter Jackson's LotR and Pan's Labyrinth which I both love. I like Chris Hemsworth and thought he was great as Thor and he looks bad ass swing a pair of axes. Also, the casting of the dwarves looks nice. I can't remember all the actors they got for them. The only review I've heard/seen is from Brad Jones (aka the Cinema Snob) and my opinion usually coincides with his. Despite what many think, I agree with him that Cowboys and Aliens and Your Highness were very good and entertaining films.

Only really two things bug me about the trailers: it has the chick from Twilight. I'm not sure what this means exactly. Haven't seen any of those films, but I heard things. I'm not how good an actress she is. But maybe you can tell me if I'm being a little too paranoid and jumping to conclusions. The other thing is although I like the look of the film, it still feels kind of pretentious and artsy. Something about the films looks kind of off.

So yeah, your thoughts of the film?

[ThePhantasm]

While I'm confused as to why the mirror mirror thinks Kirsten Stewart is fairer than Charlize Theron, I'm thinking about going to see this... reviews seem to indicate its a fun film. The trailers looked pretty sweet.

[INDYSTAR188]

I read a review that said it was super dark and a huge change from your standard Disney material. I'm looking forward to checking it out although I probably wouldn't have put Kristen Stewart in the lead I can deal with it.

[JadedDM]

I'm not how good an actress she is.

Kristen Stewart is not a good actress at all. She's downright awful, in fact. She has no range, is incapable of emoting, mumbles all of her lines, and looks baked most of the time.

She's by far the worst part of the movie; unfortunately, she's also the star.

[Mutant Sheep]

I just thought that being in Twilight made all the actors braindead, I actually think Stewart can pull off acting when she isn't trying to channel the author's insanity.
And Phantasm, I actually disagree with you. (First time!:smallbiggrin:) Theron is great, but when she's playing an old witch, she just don't look quite as fine.:smalltongue:

[Lord Seth]

Once Upon a Time
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsman

Is there any reason why Snow White is suddenly such a big thing?

[Mutant Sheep]

Once Upon a Time
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsman

Is there any reason why Snow White is suddenly such a big thing?

Because its a glorious feminist tale of female empowerment and short people. And also because all the guy does is kiss her and be rich.:smallwink:

[Soras Teva Gee]

I have the exact same problem with this movie that I have with Battleship.

Namely that it conceptually should not exist. I was vaguely interested from the trailers up until the exact moment they said the name. Instantly informing me that no matter how hard it tries it will not change the fact that it is complete and utter $#@&.

What's that I'm forming a narrow judgement based on no actual information? Were I wrong then we'd see more then a 46% (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/snow_white_and_the_huntsman/) on the tomatometer. Because if the movie was actually good it would have had the sense to actually change its name and story, not change its name in shallow attempt to lure the male demographic.

What's that it might be harmless fun? As long as rotten trash like this is supported it will be made so there is no "harmless" fun with movies. You $10 is worth too much for there to be.

[Lord Seth]

What's that I'm forming a narrow judgement based on no actual information? Were I wrong then we'd see more then a 46% (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/snow_white_and_the_huntsman/) on the tomatometer.But if you were right, then it'd have less than 46%. A 46% means that slightly more than half of the critics gave it a negative review. In other words, that people are very split on whether it's good or bad.

If you're going to be claiming something is "rotten trash," then yeah, I'd say you are forming a narrow judgment based on no actual information because the information you cite doesn't support your thesis. Maybe if it were 15% or something, or even 20%, but 46%? Nah.

[Tvtyrant]

I just got back. Warning, I HATED this movie.

Let me start off by saying that everything before the white horse was good. The escape in general was kinda 'meh,' but she had to get out of the castle somehow and it didn't have any truly awful moments.

Until she finds a random, mystical, white, unexplained horse sitting in the sand waiting for her. Some could argue that the deer-god thing (I'll get to that) sent it, so there is a possible explanation for a horse to simply be chilling in some sand outside of a castle by which nothing grows, eating seaweed or something. BUT, any possible excuse dies as soon as the horse pulls an Artax (see the neverending story), and simply sinks into a bog as quickly as it grew out of a beach.

I could go through scene after scene picking this movie apart (which I did in the theatre), but honestly this isn't the place for it. The general problem with the movie was that it tried to do too much, and it did it by making each scene short and emotionally empty. They are taken in by a village, and BOOOM it is on fire. Evil brother guy is kinda creepy, announces that he killed the Huntsman's wife. BOOOM! Instant revenge on a log!

Effectively the movie moves so quickly that there is no room for emotional investment. Like the love triangle. The pieces of this love triangle are put in place so we can see Snow White choosing the Huntsman over Prince Charming because of whatever inner something he is supposed to have. But the whole thing is dodged by the Queen killing Snow White. Oh, we have some sort of closure in her waking to the Huntsman's kiss rather than the Prince's kiss, but since the love triangle was never addressed or developed in the first place, it feels completely arbitrary. And then she never talks to him again.

I won't tell you not to watch it, but I can tell you that I wish I hadn't.

[Saph]

My first reaction on seeing the trailer was "I'm sorry, guys. You can give her a sword, you can put her in plate armour, and you can even stick her in front of an army, but she's still Bella Swan from Twilight and there's no way I can take her seriously as a soldier."

Maybe I'm being too harsh. :smallbiggrin:

[Soras Teva Gee]

But if you were right, then it'd have less than 46%. A 46% means that slightly more than half of the critics gave it a negative review. In other words, that people are very split on whether it's good or bad.

If you're going to be claiming something is "rotten trash," then yeah, I'd say you are forming a narrow judgment based on no actual information because the information you cite doesn't support your thesis. Maybe if it were 15% or something, or even 20%, but 46%? Nah.

Ahh I see where you are coming from and forgot to mention this is not a movie that can be "okay" because that's actually worse. No it would have to be genuinely good to over come the mere fact that it exists. Like 80% minimum. 90% universal acclaim might actually get me to go.

All the 45% (updated) tells me is that this movie lacks the audacity to be truly bad so because its been so over cooked and calculated to appeal that the result couldn't help but be bland. Its rather like that Alice movie with Johnny Depp, trying to be the next Pirates without recognizing how spontaneous and irreproducible that was.

Seems to be a theme actually, movies seem to be going through a phase rather like 90s comics. Take anything, anything at all, and update it to be grittier and modern with lots of flashy effects. Of course it will only carry a PG-13 so the kiddies can still see it so can't be an actually dark take, among other factors that almost guarantee the result will be less creative then your typical fanfic.

Perhaps studio heads think that's what LotR was was "obviously" a Disney-esque fairy tale that Jackson took and made more serious. Seems like the sort of delusion that would be cooked up when smelling the fumes of one's own colon. If that is the origin of this trend, though we could possibly blame superhero movies too.

[ThePhantasm]

And Phantasm, I actually disagree with you. (First time!:smallbiggrin:) Theron is great, but when she's playing an old witch, she just don't look quite as fine.:smalltongue:

Do you mean she don't look as fine as she usually does, or not as fine as Kirsten Stewart in a rip-off of Gondor armor? :smalltongue:

[Decatus]

Do you mean she don't look as fine as she usually does, or not as fine as Kirsten Stewart in a rip-off of Gondor armor? :smalltongue:


Just not quite as fine as she usually does. Granted, she looks quite nice most of the time in the movie, but there are times when she reaaaaally doesn't.

In addition, I mostly agree with Tvtyrant. The movie wasn't great. Thor and Charlize Theron were both good in it, and did the best they could with a poor script. Bella Swan was utterly, totally, completely horrible. Wooden acting (as usual), she mumbled all her lines (as usual), and no emotional range (as usual).

The employees at the theater I work at are all certain that they used Bella to pull in the Rabid-Twilight-Tween demographic...it worked. Rabid Tweens were 80% of our overall business yesterday, and we're expecting more of the same today.

[Bulldog Psion]

Interestingly, Roger Ebert liked it quite a bit. Which means I'll probably wait for a $3 copy to show up on eBay and see it then. :smallbiggrin:

[Feytalist]

A tangent: For anyone who hasn't seen Welcome to the Rileys, Kristen Stewart really can act. I haven't seen seen her in anything else, but she's really bloody good in that.

That said, I'm going to see Snow White anyway.

[Chen]

The movie was nicely done visually. Most of the scenes have some sort of nice visuals to the backgrounds and whatnot. Which is good because the acting in the scenes is generally terrible or non-sensical. The plot is horrible and filled with holes. I really feel that Kristen Stewart ruined this movie. Her acting is TERRIBLE. There's an inspirational speech scene that is absurdly bad. Its hard to believe that was the best cut of that scene. Overall it was a terrible movie.

[super dark33]

As some dude on the internet said:

"With skin as white as snow,
With hair as black as night
And with face as blank as a wall.,,

[Tyndmyr]

Please remember spoilers folks.:smallwink:

So I haven't seen it but am wondering if it's worth my time/money.

Bluntly, it's not. Saw it yesterday, and both I and my date were antsy and bored before it ended. I suggested it be retitled Bella Swan: Ineffectual Princess Part 4, now with even more necrophilia.


Despite what many think, I agree with him that Cowboys and Aliens and Your Highness were very good and entertaining films.

They were both solid films. Neither will be in film history classes as classics twenty years from now, but both are very enjoyable films, and I didn't regret watching either.

The big problem with this film is that the acting is...weak. Bluntly speaking, the twilight chick can't act worth a damn. After that, the next biggest problem is that the movie is remarkably slow in pace. I mean, it's a classic fairy tale, we all get the basic story, what we're here for is the awesome portrayal, and the extra details. Those were sort of sparse.

Lastly, they didn't really bother to flesh out much of anything for this world. The story sort of exists in not-fully-consistent vacuum, and there's little foreshadowing of important things, and nothing has any sort of sense of being real.

It basically just feels like a movie in which everyone phoned it in.


My first reaction on seeing the trailer was "I'm sorry, guys. You can give her a sword, you can put her in plate armour, and you can even stick her in front of an army, but she's still Bella Swan from Twilight and there's no way I can take her seriously as a soldier."

Maybe I'm being too harsh. :smallbiggrin:

Edit: Yeah, this. It doesn't go away in the movie. She looks awkward/stoned and way out of place in the armor. Also, I'm pretty sure that she's wearing leggings that just vanish with no explanation part-way though the final fight. I can't be bothered to watch it again to be sure, since it was really terrible, but yeah, she really is hard to take seriously in the role of a leader/warrior.

[Bhu]

I've yet to see it but virtually everyone i know who has (and whose opinion I actually trust) said the same review:

Too slow for most modern American audiences

Lead (Stewart) is completely miscast and destroys any possible good the film could have had

Charlize Theron as the queen is the films saving grace.

I'll prolly wait for Prometheus to see a movie


Once Upon a Time
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsman

Is there any reason why Snow White is suddenly such a big thing?

Tradition. When a property becomes available that isn't copyrighted still someone will decide to make it a film, and if he gains any notice at all others will rush to get a movie out before him. That way if your film takes off maybe you can get a franchise that makes money and he gives up his pursuit of his own project as it will draw inevitable comparisons and he can be accused of trying to ride your coat tails. If it sucks, the memory of it will taint the rival movies studios release and possibly hurt it's numbers. It's trying to squeeze out or hinder the competition.

[Tyndmyr]

Charlize Theron as the queen is the films saving grace.

I'd agree with that. She's solid, and is probably the most believable char in the film.

[Z3ro]

The big problem with this film is that the acting is...weak. Bluntly speaking, the twilight chick can't act worth a damn.

The scene I found most unintentionally funny was the pre-battle speech Kristen Stewart gave. It's clear she's supposed to be going for passionate, but all she ends up doing is yelling. I imagined the scene on set going something like this:

Bella: They can take our lives, but they'll never take OUR FREEEEDDDOOMMM!!!1
Director: Bella, I need passion, emotion, involvement, not yelling. Let's try it again.
Bella: MOAR YELLING!!!
Director: Whatever, money counting break!

[ThePhantasm]

If I go see it, it'll be for Theron and the special effects. But I'm still debating it.

The only two films I'm super-passionate about seeing at this point are TDKR and The Hobbit.

[MammonAzrael]

If I go see it, it'll be for Theron and the special effects. But I'm still debating it.

The only two films I'm super-passionate about seeing at this point are TDKR and The Hobbit.

Agreed. While I haven't seen it yet, my sister did, and she felt very simlarly to the above comments. Stewart's acting was terrible. The story felt disjointed and rushed, as if 30 minutes of the movie had been left on the cutting room floor, giving nothing the time it needed to develop and be explained. Theron was the best part of the movie.

On another note, if you do cast Charlize Theron as the evil queen, who the hell do you cast as Snow White that can make the mirror's claim plausible? Oh, she has to be able to act. :smallamused:

[TheLaughingMan]

I've yet to see it but virtually everyone i know who has (and whose opinion I actually trust) said the same review:

Too slow for most modern American audiences


I'm actually curious as to how this one came up, seeing as how half the thread complains of its breakneck speed. What's the real consensus?

[Seharvepernfan]

I went in expecting it to be kinda bad, and possibly because of that, I wasn't upset with it at all. Its' special effects were pretty good, at least 8/10, and the big castle was very realistic (was it actually real? anybody know?).

It's your typical american movie aimed at "mainstream" 12 year olds, but it is enjoyable, and no, Kristen isn't terrible in it (I actually think she was a great pick for a princess who has spent most of her life in a dark tower-prison cell. That sounded like a joke, it wasn't.).

I was kinda :l about her being in platemail, but meh, she didn't do any real fighting or anything. The melee combat scenes were pretty neat, kinda sherlock holmes/cowboys and aliens-ish.

I did not expect the dwarves to make an appearance! I thought they were great.

It does has several scenes where you're just like, "OH COME ON!!" Namely, when she steals Gandalfs' horse on the beach and rides it bareback, when the big bad armored soldier men won't chase her into the "scary" forest, when she kingkongs the troll, the whole scarred-women village scene which is blatantly (almost rudely) trying to tug at your heartstrings and fails horribly, when she just somehow comes back from the life and gives a william wallace speech, and the final fight with the witch. Just poorly/hastily thrown together.


Still, I can't say I didn't enjoy it. (Granted, I only paid $4 to see it. I'm still peeved about the $10 I lost seeing You don't mess with the Zohan Adam Sandler's innermost desires and stunted-emotional reality.)

[Talya]

This year marks the 75th Anniversary since Walt made the world's first animated full length motion picture.

Walt's version was also way better than this tripe.

(Also, Depp's Alice in Wonderland was quite good.)

[Tyndmyr]

I'm actually curious as to how this one came up, seeing as how half the thread complains of its breakneck speed. What's the real consensus?

Oh, there are a lot of scenes, yes. There are just not a lot of scenes you actually care about.

If we're measuring it by how often the camera cuts to a different scene, we have a fast paced movie. However, if we consider how often something that feels of importance happens...it's slow. There's a lot of "yes, yes, I know exactly what's happening here, but I just don't care, please move along already".

**minor spoiler ahead. Well, if it's possible to spoil crap**

The village is a perfect example of this. They pop into a village that has never come up before, take shelter there, there's about two minutes of "oh, woe is our lives under the queen", then the village is burning. Nobody you care about is in real danger, and hell, they even take time to show the villagers mostly escaping. I guess that was supposed to be a relief or something, but they've literally just arrived on screen and don't even have names.

However, during this time, nothing of notable importance happens. The situation of the protagonists is essentially the same both before and after the village scene. Rapid motion on screen does not make a plot.