Universal Pictures
I know what you’re probably thinking. Why on earth did Universal Pictures release a sequel to 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman? Surely this sequel was not necessary, as the first film didn’t exactly break records at the box office or win a plethora of awards during the Oscars circuit. What more could possibly be told about a fairy tale that everyone practically knows by heart? Is The Huntsman: Winter’s War in fact a sequel or a prequel, because the trailers make that point a bit confusing? My answers to these burning questions and more may surprise you.
The Huntsman: Winter’s War is both a prequel and a sequel of sorts. It begins with events that happened before the first film, in that we finally see just how Chris Hemsworth became the titular Huntsman. And ultimately it ends with events that occur after those of the first film. What I’m about to say next may come as a bit of a shock to you, considering the reviews for this film have been largely unkind. While it’s far from being perfect, I believe The Huntsman: Winter’s War surpasses its predecessor largely due to the casting and development of the story.
I was not a fan of Kristen Stewart as Snow White in the first film, and her absence from this one actually makes it better. I can’t think of a more mismatched role. By definition, Snow White should have been an actress who radiated purity, a youthful innocence and was likable almost to the point of bordering on the overly saccharine. Stewart is none of those things. She comes across as a petulant teenager in just about every role I’ve ever seen her in and a few times that worked to her advantage (The Runaways and Adventureland). But I found myself rooting for Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen in that first film. Snow White seemed like a brat to me.
And maybe that’s what I was supposed to feel. Films like that and Maleficent show you the villain’s origin story so you can better connect with them. What I really enjoy is they take everything you thought you knew about the fairy tale and flip it upside-down. If she didn’t find a way to give Stewart that poisoned apple, I might have volunteered for the task myself. Sorry to anybody who loved Stewart in the role – it simply did not work for me.
In The Huntsman: Winter’s War, Theron reprises her role as the deliciously wicked Ravenna, adding new depths of depravity to her performance. She looks like she truly enjoys being evil and really sells it for all she’s worth. Nick Frost and Rob Brydon are also back as two of the grumpy dwarves, and they provide much of the film’s comedic relief. Newcomers Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, Sheridan Smith, Alexandra Roach and Sope Dirisu bring so much to their roles that I can forgive any gaps in the storyline or the heavy reliance on CGI effects (which at times are visually stunning – especially anything involving Ravenna’s elaborate costuming – and at other times are more than a little underwhelming, as is the case of the goblins).
First and foremost, I’ve always been a fan of fairy tales. What child doesn’t welcome the escape into a world of fantasy – a place where anything is possible and magic is commonplace? This film delivers rather satisfyingly on that front with castles, goblins, fairies, dwarfs and magic mirrors aplenty and not one, but two, evil queens in a Battle Royale. There’s a handsome hero (Hemsworth) of course, but what I found most refreshing about the film was that you’re presented with not one strong female lead but three. There’s no silly damsel in distress in this fairy tale (unless you count Snow White, but she’s only shown once briefly from behind). Theron is but one of the three ladies kicking ass throughout the film, with the other two being newcomers Blunt and Chastain. The most interesting thing about it is that it could literally go anywhere, as Snow White and the Evil Queen’s backstories were already told in the first film.
Blunt plays Ravenna’s little sister, Freya, also known as the Ice Queen, and her tale is tragic. Naturally, Ravenna had something to do with her misery, being directly responsible for her icy demeanor and magical powers. After the death of her only child, Freya fled to the northern part of the kingdom and began training an army of children to protect her icy fortress of solitude. She calls her army “her children” and “the huntsmen,” which is where we are first introduced to Hemsworth’s character, whom it turns out actually has a name (Eric). It’s here that we’re also introduced to Eric’s wife, Sara, (Chastain) who was also trained as a child to be a warrior.
Eric and Sara are the Queen’s best huntsmen, but they break her cardinal sin by falling in love with one another somewhere in-between their rigorous sparring and training. Brokenhearted, Freya is of the belief that love only leads to betrayal. I believe she says something to the effect of love is a trick played by the cruel on the blind. That’s the “how” behind how Eric came to be a widower in Snow White’s kingdom when we were introduced to him. And that brings us up-to-speed ending the prequel portion of the film and paving the way for the sequel chain of events, which unravel at a rather fast pace.
Eric is tasked with taking Ravenna’s magic mirror to a place of sanctuary where no one will be able to use it for evil purposes ever again. Along the way, he’s accompanied by the two male dwarfs and two female dwarfs (Smith and Roach). Naturally, Ravenna is ultimately revived because of the mirror and the two sisters must finally have it out with one another for dominance by the film’s end. It’s all quite predictable, but a fun romp nonetheless. However, I would’ve enjoyed more scenes with the two evil queens together.
I will agree with other film critics who have likened The Huntsman: Winter’s War as being a cross between Frozen and Brave that isn’t quite as kid-friendly or as engaging. However, it’s not the worst film I’ve ever seen, and I still think it achieves something few sequels ever manage to do: it surpasses the original because it feels like they finally got the chemistry right. I didn’t come in expecting to like it but was won over by its charms and by the empowering female leads. While it’s supposed to be the Huntsman’s tale, it quickly becomes Freya’s and Blunt is so captivating that I wasn’t even mad about that. Even though she’s a much darker version of Frozen’s Elsa, she manages to be more likable than Snow White, and that’s tough to do.
Share this post
