2012 was a historic year for film, boasting cinematic achievements of all genres. Among these, the revival of a long-told fairytale peaked blockbuster interest in the form of “Snow White and the Huntsman.”
Actress Kristen Stewart abandoned her Twilight roots in favor of this dark retelling of a childhood classic, the center of much controversy at the time. Now, four years later, the cast members, sans Stewart, reprise their roles in this fictional world to bring about “The Huntsman: Winter’s War.” Initially, the film piqued much interest as a joint prequel and sequel to its predecessor, touching on the events that occurred both before and after Snow White’s triumph.
This idea, seemingly unprecedented in the current world of film, seems both challenging and compelling. Unlike other sequels, this movie presents the unique opportunity to weave a story through a multitude of time spans rather than playing into a typical linear timeline.
More so, the star-studded cast promises action veterans like Chris Hemsworth, Jessica Chastain, Emily Blunt and Charlize Theron, surely meant to deliver the same grandeur of drama seen in the first film. But with expectations this high, it’s no surprise that the film fell short in most all respects as one of the most disappointing sequels to date.
The trailer of the film seems to be the blame for a majority of the discrepancy between hopes and reality. In two minutes alone, the expectations for an action-packed, grim take on a historically cheery tale are set exorbitantly high, only to be let down by the mediocre, disorganized plot. Combined with the seemingly destined music track placement of Halsey’s “Castle,” the trailer is the ultimate example of deception.
The movie itself utilizes the idea of a prequel and sequel effect to embrace all opportunity for new characters. In particular, the introduction of Queen Freya (Blunt) is one of the more interesting additions, meant to create a balance between herself and the riveting antagonist Ravenna (Theron). In fact, while the full dramatic potential of Blunt’s character suffers at the hands of a clichéd, corny script, Blunt does her best to fully encompass the complexity of this grief-driven character.
The same thing cannot be said for the rest of the cast, especially Hemsworth and Chastain.
Initially, in “Snow White and the Huntsman,” Hemsworth’s character Eric plays into the mysterious depth and complexity of each character, making the first film so enticing. Much of his history is left unsaid, to the advantage of both movies. But in “The Huntsman,” Eric falls victim to a subpar, disappointing love story.
It’s not even the personal distaste I hold for Chastain that’s responsible for the subplot’s downfall, but rather the movie’s own failure to create a story that isn’t tremendously basic and disappointing. It is almost as if the writers simply wiped each character clean and handed out roles unbefitting to these already established personas. Further, new characters like Sara (Chastain) fail to even achieve a normal-sounding accent to hide the deafeningly cliché underlying plot.
Perhaps the only savior combating the film’s deficiencies is the reprisal of Theron’s character Ravenna. Her return to the film is one of the few moments of awe-inspiring chills that bring the film back to its formidable roots. Likewise, her role as a character is instrumental to the development of the polarizing-sister dynamic the film is built upon. Through a debate between fear and contempt, Ravenna’s purposefully succinct screen time works tirelessly to create a foreboding, complex relationship vaguely reminiscent of a twisted version of Anna and Elsa from “Frozen.”
For the most part, the movie is at least a visual adventure. It works well in this aspect, but in comparison to the rest, it just isn’t enough.
“The Huntsman” is a bleak attempt to relive the success of its parent film that abandons the immensely important tone it originally set forth. With few redeeming qualities present, this film is yet another shortcoming in the business of making sequels.
