Snow White & the Huntsman was not the type of film I expected. It seemed like it would be a Twilight cash grab crossed with the Darker and Edgier fairytales craze. Instead, if it's not quite good, it does manage to be unique in the day of the rampant spectacle blockbuster.
It's actually a better adaptation of Prince Caspian and the Narnia books in general than the actual Prince Caspian film. The middle section of the film has this huge 'The world is reawakening' feel that is easily the strongest section. After effectively establishing the dark and corrupted world, where even the ground is your enemy, Snow White comes along and flowers begin to grow amongst the branches, birds follow her and trolls bow. The people around her get caught up more and more in her pleasure and delight of the world around her. The camera work is absolutely beautiful and the feel begins to affect you and catch you up with it.
I'd be very surprised if Prince Caspian wasn't a conscious influence at some point too, because scenes seem to be lifted almost whole-hearted from it's pages. When Snow White wakes up at night, surrounded by surly dwarves who've lost their faith, and then follows the tree spirits into a glade where the world is fully reawakened to meet the majestic magical creature at the centre of everything...
The other inspiration is from a certain period of fantasy films, between the gratification of Conan and the epicness of Lord of the Rings, where fantasy films were not necessarily great but they were earnest. There are lots of long quiet shots of lonely landscapes, hushed conversations around campfires, subdued talks with elders of small villages. Willow or The 13th Warrior It's not in your face, and I can understand it feeling a little boring, but it's a pleasant surprise to see a film like this made in 2012. There is a certain grace about the way it doesn't demand attention and excitement.
Sadly there's a completely nonsensical love triangle which is invalidated by the very title of the film, and whilst the first and second acts end up complementing each other well, we're lacking the transition between 'Summer is coming' and the big battle with Snow White as a warrior. Everything doesn't quite resolve properly and the Huntsman never really comes to be his own character.
Prince Caspian and the 13 Warriors
Snow White & the Huntsman was not the type of film I expected. It seemed like it would be a Twilight cash grab crossed with the Darker and Edgier fairytales craze. Instead, if it's not quite good, it does manage to be unique in the day of the rampant spectacle blockbuster.
It's actually a better adaptation of Prince Caspian and the Narnia books in general than the actual Prince Caspian film. The middle section of the film has this huge 'The world is reawakening' feel that is easily the strongest section. After effectively establishing the dark and corrupted world, where even the ground is your enemy, Snow White comes along and flowers begin to grow amongst the branches, birds follow her and trolls bow. The people around her get caught up more and more in her pleasure and delight of the world around her. The camera work is absolutely beautiful and the feel begins to affect you and catch you up with it.
I'd be very surprised if Prince Caspian wasn't a conscious influence at some point too, because scenes seem to be lifted almost whole-hearted from it's pages. When Snow White wakes up at night, surrounded by surly dwarves who've lost their faith, and then follows the tree spirits into a glade where the world is fully reawakened to meet the majestic magical creature at the centre of everything...
The other inspiration is from a certain period of fantasy films, between the gratification of Conan and the epicness of Lord of the Rings, where fantasy films were not necessarily great but they were earnest. There are lots of long quiet shots of lonely landscapes, hushed conversations around campfires, subdued talks with elders of small villages. Willow or The 13th Warrior It's not in your face, and I can understand it feeling a little boring, but it's a pleasant surprise to see a film like this made in 2012. There is a certain grace about the way it doesn't demand attention and excitement.
Sadly there's a completely nonsensical love triangle which is invalidated by the very title of the film, and whilst the first and second acts end up complementing each other well, we're lacking the transition between 'Summer is coming' and the big battle with Snow White as a warrior. Everything doesn't quite resolve properly and the Huntsman never really comes to be his own character.