"That Movie is Masterful!

Snow White and the Huntsman masterfully re-imagines the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, it being the second and darker re-working of the tale this year (the other is Mirror, Mirror starring Julia Roberts).  Taking on a risky challenge of twisting a beloved fantastical story into a bloody and boisterous epic, director Rupert Sanders rises victorious with this captivating cinematic film.  Shot in the gorgeous setting of Wales and Ireland, Huntsman delivers breathtaking cinematography and excellent photography that crafts a refreshingly imaginative take on a classic.  Colleen Atwood designs astoundingly gorgeous costumes like the wicked Queen Ravenna’s gold and black gowns, and the sleek weapons like the bow the son of the duke, William, carries and the heavy clad iron sword and axe the Huntsman wields, which both majestically strike realistic visuals of the royal ages.  Skeptical about how Kristen Stewart would perform after her overly dramatic performances as Bella in the Twilight sagas, I was pleasantly impressed.  Smart story development of keeping Snow White as a fierce-spirited but less verbally assertive character (she is second to the Huntsman and the Queen, both leading the dialogue) for the first ¾ of the film allows Stewart to amplify Snow White’s brave and pure heart in a believable manner, which makes her character more heroically triumphant when she transitions into a fierce and honorable warrior that leads her deceased father’s armies against the Queen.  Though most of Ravenna’s diction is disappointingly intended for screaming commands, Charlize Theron delivers hypnotizing facial expressions that horrifyingly shift the Queen’s hedonistic and fearful thoughts from wicked to manipulatively understanding.  Meanwhile, Chris Hemsworth’s performance as the rough huntsman enhances the power driving the movie: not to mention his enticing Scottish accent that makes the knees of every lady admirer buckle.  Some of the war scenes present repetitive moves that could confuse some viewers because they jump abruptly between actions, occasionally slowing the excitement of it.  Comedic relief characters, however, like the eight dwarves unmask hilarious similarities to characteristic seen in the two friendly bickering scaly-wags in Pirates of the Caribbean, which guarantees laughs that effectively break up the violent and sentimental scenes in this movie.  Centering on an interesting theme of the fairest beauty coming from within, Snow White and the Huntsman turns damsels into drivers while also masterfully combining elements like the suggestion of an acid-trip in Alice in Wonderland (with moments in the Dark Forest), one-on-one breathtaking battles between villains and rough heroes (Lord of the Rings) and magical moments with mystical creatures (Chronicles of Narnia), which all collectively harmonize the story and release a must-see film.