Once upon a time King Magnus (Noah Huntley) and Queen Eleanor (Liberty Ross) ruled the land and it was ever so peaceful and prosperous. Their greatest gift to the world was the Princess Snow White (Raffey Cassidy) born with beauty that stilled the most violent of hearts and a magical presence that made nature sing. Then Queen Eleanor died and through some manipulations a mysterious woman known as Ravenna (Charlize Theron) married King Magnus and swiftly usurped his throne. As queen, Ravenna locked Snow White in the tower dungeon as she ruled the land with fury and menace.

Many years pass until the rule of Queen Ravenna is threatened by the maturation of Snow White (Kristen Stewart). In order to retain her powers Queen Ravenna must literally consume the heart of Snow White. This will not be as easy a task as the queen imagined as Snow White escapes and finds allies that will aid in her quest to bring down Queen Ravenna merciless reign and restore peace to the land.

Snow White And The Huntsman is yet another production based on the legendary tale written by The Brothers Grimm in 1812. At first I wanted to described the film as a darker and more serious version of the fairy tale. But, when I think about, the story of “Snow White” has always been kind of disturbing with the core plot focused on a woman that wants to be the most beautiful person in the world by offing another person. Still, Snow White And The Huntsman is one of the more solemn and dramatic forms of the fairy tale out there.

The film retained some of the cliched fantasy elements that usually come attached to a fairy tale flick but they are given a more sophisticated twist. Snow White is still able to talk to animals, the evil queen is still quite the sorceress, the seven dwarves still like to crow a hearty tune every once in awhile and that poisoned apple eventually makes an appearance. It's just done in a style that's more geared towards teens and adults.

It was nice to see Kristen Stewart taking the lead as “Snow White. I'm sure she jumped at the chance to play the character as more of a fierce heroine rather than a wispy damsel waiting for some prince to save her. Chris Hemsworth is a suitable lug as the scruffish huntsman “Eric” who is tasked by Queen Ravenna to find the fugitive Snow White. The dwarves are astonishingly brought to life through,as near as I can tell, the bodies of genuine little persons and the faces of seasoned actors including Ian McShane, Toby Jones, Ray Winstone, Bob Hoskins, Nick Frost, Eddie Marsan, Johnny Harris and Brian Gleeson. It is an impressive display of visual effects that had me immediately recall a similar stunt done for the Hobbits in The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy.

Though everyone is after Snow White there is no denying that Queen Ravenna is just as captivating and riveting. Charlize Theron is just beautifully terrifying. The woman is a vision of loveliness but when she gets angry then she gets ugly and her sterling visage becomes a scary combination of rage and bitterness.
In this treatment of the fairy tale Ravenna is given a sympathetic backstory that makes her more than just a vain villain looking for an effective beauty regiment. There is a perfectly good reason for her madness and her quest for power. She is even given a brother, Finn (Sam Spruell), to further bolster her sympathetic role in the film.

Snow White And The Huntsman was exactly as advertised in the previews. It is serious, dramatic and kind of violent but there is still room for magic and fantasy so the storybook themes aren't completely eliminated. While Mirror, Mirror (2012) was aimed at younger and less squeamish audiences Snow White And The Huntsman is a bleaker and and sleeker gothic adventure aimed at viewers who want to see a bedtime story through an edgier point of view. Though the film isn't overtly bloody I don't think it is truly meant as a family film since there's a lot of gloomy and intense visuals throughout along with some slow pacing that might put the wee ones to sleep until an action scene booms along to wake them up. Since I like gothic, dreary and edgy films Snow White And The Huntsman was a good show for me.

Rhymes With: Mirror, Mirror (2012), The Brothers Grimm (2005), Legend (1985), Willow (1988), The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001), Robin Hood (2010), Snow White: A Tale Of Terror (1997), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Red Riding Hood (2011), The Messenger: The Story Of Joan Of Arc (1999), The Last Legion (2007), King Arthur (2004)

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http://www.totalrecall-movie.com/  

Les Miserables – The legendary Broadway musical gets a feature film treatment starring Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried and Russell Crowe. Christmas 2012
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