A voice over, an evil warden, an innocent prisoner, a daring escape through a sewer. No, it’s not ‘The Shawshank Redemption’. It’s ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’, the new take on the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale. While this movie’s Snow White, in a sense, mirrors the Disney version-she is pure of heart-that’s where the comparison ends and the gritty, violent fun begins. We see Show White as a young girl, whose father marries an otherworldly, stunning woman named Ravenna (Charlize Theron). Bad move-she kills him and, with the help of her brother Finn (Sam Spruell), Ravenna sacks the kingdom and locks the princess in a tower to rot. Instead, the princess grows up to be a very lovely, albeit filthy, Kristen Stewart with hair dyed black, lips ‘red as blood’ and skin as white as Cullen’s. Then comes the mirror that tells Ravenna that Snow White is the only threat to her goal to top the Maxim Hot 100-or be the fairest of them all -Ravenna doesn’t take it well, vowing to rip out Snow White’s heart, ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’-style. Plans are thwarted when Snow White escapes into the dark forest. That’s when the Huntsman comes in, played by hunky Chris Hemsworth. Here, he’s a raging alcoholic, who the Queen sends to capture Snow White. It doesn’t take long for the Huntsman to find Snow White but he soon becomes her ally, turning on the Queen with the help of the seven dwarves, brilliantly played by the likes of Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins and Nick Frost. The rest of the story is not as predictable as you might think. Snow White and the Huntsman is a wake-up call to any critic who’s taken issue with Kristen Stewart’s work in the ‘Twilight’ franchise. Stewart is exceptional as Snow White, proving she really is one of Hollywood’s best young actresses. Hemsworth, in a considerably less showy role than that of Thor, is armed with an impressive range and sensitivity that seems instinctual. In other words, the guy’s a natural. As for Theron? Wow! Is it possible for an actress be so evil and yet so vulnerable at the same time? We should hate Ravenna because, well, she sucks, but in Theron’s hands, the character truly shines. ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ does drag in a few places. Nitpicking aside, though, it’s a violent yet gorgeous tale that thoroughly satisfies. Rating: Three out of five stars.
