Snow White and the Huntsman

It's been barely two months since Snow White came on movie screens and now she's here again. While Mirror Mirror was in the Disney style, this new one, Snow White and the Huntsman, is more in the Game of Thrones style. It's also quite "Grimm" for those accustomed with the Disney style.

Years ago, Snow White's (Kristen Stewart) father, the King, married the Evil Witch Raveena (Charlize Theron). On the same night, she killed him and took over the Kingdom. Ever since, Raveena's dealt with her supreme vanity by stealing the beauty from any and all fair maidens. Meanwhile, Snow White has been a prisoner in the tower.

The Magic Mirror tells Raveena that with Snow White's blood, she can finally become immortally young. The only problem is that Snow White's now escaped into the eerie Dark Forrest. So, she gets a Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to track her down and bring her back. Instead, the Huntsman joins up with Snow White and her Prince to raise the resistance against the Dark Queen.

And yes, there are dwarves in this picture. Eight of them.

What makes it among the fairest in the land are its production values. There's some majestic eerie imagery, especially in the snowy scenes, provided by cinematographer Greig Fraser. The costumes, by Colleen Atwood, are unique and colorful for their setting. The editing, by Conrad Buff IV and Neil Smith, masterfully constructs a few key scenes. And among the impressive effects, the miniaturization of actors Toby Jones, Bob Hoskins and more into the dwarves was a highlight.

Its production values are what allow me to overlook its writing flaws. Mainly, it's so over-serious that its main comic relief, the dwarves, are only sporadically funny. It was a bit overlong, particularly in the middle, although it did pick up the pace fortunately.

Supposedly, there's supposed to be a few sequels to come after this. A major franchise? Let's hope they can do a bit better than this already quite decent first feature.