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Chris Hemsworth is a large part of the problem with The Huntsman: Winter’s War
C-Between the spring of 2012, when Snow White and the Huntsman became a modest theatrical hit, and this year’s arrival of its follow-up, The Huntsman: Winter’s War arrives, we have witnessed Frozen, Brave, and three Hobbit movies. All of these latter films were more successful, both critically and financially, than Snow White was, so it’s not surprising that the current film’s screenwriters have tried to shoehorn in as many plot elements as possible from the later movies. It’s also not surprising that the result is somewhat of a bloated mess.
The Huntsman: Winter’s War attempts to be both a prequel and sequel to Snow White. In the film’s first half hour, viewers learn that evil queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) has a younger, nicer sister Freya (Emily Blunt). But a family tragedy makes Freya as cruel as Ravenna and gives the her ability to freeze people and other objects. After Snow White defeats Ravenna, Freya tries to get the power of Ravenna’s magic mirror for herself, and only Eric, the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth), formerly one of Ravenna’s warriors, and another former warrior, Sara (Jessica Chastain), stand in her way.
Any movie fan seeing the current Huntsman will realize in a minute that Ravenna and Freya are far more sinister versions of Anna and Elsa in Frozen, red-headed Sara is a live action Merida from Brave, and that Eric’s quest for the mirror, accompanied by a band of dwarves, is a variant on the treasure hunt in the Hobbit films. Unfortunately, The Huntsman: Winter’s War is entirely bereft of any of the wit or magic of those other films. Instead, Huntsman relies on its title character, as played by the rather leaden Hemsworth, and struggles to fit all its disparate plot elements in a two-hour movie. At least, Theron has fun as an over-the-top villain (who is too seldom on screen), and she and Blunt look great in a variety of dazzling costumes. The movie’s visual effects are good, especially in the final action sequence, but the overall pace of the film is too slow and the mood too gloomy. Freya’s ice kingdom is the perfect setting for The Huntsman: Winter’s War; the movie is as frozen as the setting.
In this scene, Emily Blunt confronts Chris Hemsworth and his helpers. Our full review of The Huntsman: Winter’s War is now available Silver Screen Cinema.
Photo credit: “Chris Hemsworth” by Gage Skidmore / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
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