Have you ever bought a used Trade Paperback and gotten a Movie? I have.
My copy of a Wonder Woman Trade Paperback (found in a Thrift Store, mind you) had a copy of the Animated Wonder Woman Film AND a digital copy of today's Film.
This is Snow White and the Huntsman, a 2012 Film that attempted to mix two things together- Snow White and Game of Thrones.
2011's HBO Series changed TV forever and also affected Movies. Someone might say 'This Film was in development for XX months' or something, but do the Math here.
Is it just a coincidence that this dark, grim and violent version of Snow White was made in the wake of that Series? Really now?!?
The Film was mired in controversy for what happened between the Star and the Director, but was it a good Film?
I'd say that it was good enough to get a Sequel, but I just watched the 258th Children of the Corn Film, so...that's not a standard.
To see how it turned out (and certainly not to milk those Disney hate clicks), read on...
It is a Tale as old as, well, around 1812.
A happy King and Queen have a Daughter.
The Queen dies.
The King finds a new Queen...but she turns out to be evil and kills him.
In this King's defense, it is Charlize Theron.
The Queen in this one has more overt magical powers, summoning a glass army to be defeated and be 'rescued' from.
After she kills the King, her real Army arrives and kills most of the people.
She keeps Snow White alive because 'royal blood is always useful.'
Of course, as you know, White grows up to be Kristen Stewart.
This is 2012, so people didn't realize that she could act when NOT in Twilight Films.
The Queen consults her MAGIC Mirror, which appears twice in the form of a person bathed in golden robes.
This adds nothing, but thanks...I guess.
She's told to consume Snow White's heart, as she is the only one who can stop her!
She escapes, so the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) is hired to find her.
He betrays the Queen, of course, and the two flee.
Confusingly, they go into the Dark Woods which don't actually have creatures in it (just hallucinations that you experience).
In the next Scene, a Troll is there, so...huh?!?
The duo face trouble along the way, with the Queen's Brother (and possibly more!) pursuing her.
There's also a Love Interest Guy (whose name is so unimportant that I can't be bothered to look it up) who is following them too.
They fun across some Bandits, who turn out to be the Eight Dwarfs.
Wait- Eight? Oh....ohhhh...gotcha.
They are played by respected UK Actors like Ian McShane, Toby Jones, Ray Winstone and Bob Hoskins (in his final role!) with their heads digitally placed onto a little person's body.
It is...an effect.
Can they stop the Evil Queen?
Can Snow White unite her people?
Can Hemsworth get his 'sort of a Glaswegian thing' accent to stick?
To find out, rent/buy/stream it now.
A Film that is actually pretty good, even if the tone is a bit odd.
Simply put, this was an attempt to make a dark, dramatic and very violent retelling of this story.
In that sense, it worked.
That said, the Book has her killed in a much more malicious manner than any Film I'm aware of. Is that actually too dark for us?!?
I will give the Film lots of credit for getting good Actors- like Theron, Stewart and Hemsworth- for the big parts. They do well here.
The Film also gives the Evil Queen- aka Ravenna- some backstory to make you care for her. She's evil, but you can see why she got put down that path. You almost feel sorry for her...until she soul drains another dozen young girls.
Is this one great? No, but it comes pretty close.
It does lots of good things with the story, lots of garish things and lots of odd ones too.
Since it is the right time, let's play a game.
Hey Internet, Disney is Remaking another Animated Film into Live-Action.
How do you feel?
Next up, let's put a break between this one and the Sequel (which I also have digitally). Instead, let's jump back a few years to an earlier attempt at this same kind of concept. Stay tuned...
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