Friday Night is Movie Night - Snow White and the Huntsman

I've already mentioned my inability to actually get out and go to the movies. I've missed some I really wanted to see this spring, like The Great and Powerful Oz, Jack the Giant Killer and Beautiful Creatures. Don't know if any of them are still playing, but I don't really have the time to go to the movies right now either.

Anyway, Snow White and the Huntsman was one of the movies I wanted to see last year, but it's really not hubby's thing. Not that that ever stopped me before. For whatever reason, overtime, vacation, the hurricane, whatever, I missed it at the movies. The DVD came out and it was a Black Friday weekend sale item on Amazon for like $7.00. I was going to order it, but thought, no, you know, I'll put it on my Christmas wish list, not realizing that no one in either family seems to cyber shop for Black Friday deals except for me. So, I should have just bought it. And no one bought it for me.

I really have been wanting to see it, though. And it is currently running on HBO, so I got to watch it...finally. It took three attempts. Not that I couldn't get through it. I had to stop watching because I had something to take care of.

It is pretty close to the fairy tale I suppose. A little darker perhaps. The Queen is a sorceress and she is pretty much the embodiment of evil. She's lived many lives Elizabeth Bathory style, by sucking the life essence out of young innocent girls to keep her youth and beauty. Charlize Theron was really good as the Queen. The make up on her was really cool as well as she would go from flawless skin to showing signs of aging, have a spot of youth essence and watch her skin become flawless again like porcelain.

Kristen Stewart...Kristen, Kristen, Kristen...So she was imprisoned by the Queen when she was like 9 or 10 and she's spent almost half her life imprisoned in a tower cell. She's filthy and I liked that about her character. Even when she was off in the woods, the camera would pan to her hands and you could see the dirt caked under and around her finger nails. It was a nice touch. She spent most of the movie with a pained expression on her face. My big question is this. She was imprisoned as a child and I am assuming didn't get exercise time. So how is it that she dons armor and rides into battle wielding a sword? How would she know how to fight with one? How could she hold it up? She's got scrawny little arms.

Am I being too unkind? Actually, she wasn't too bad. After all the negative publicity, I figured she was just going to be horrible.

Sam Claflin plays her childhood friend, William. And what a honey he turned out to be. So passionate. Not a day goes by that I don't think of her blah, blah, blah. They were separated as children and he thought she was dead. But he will move heaven and hell to find her again. Now that's devotion!!! Gotta love that.

The dwarves were enjoyable to watch, and so many big actors playing the roles; Ian McShane, Ray Winstone, Bob Hoskins, Nick Frost. And no, they're names were not Sleepy, Bashful, Grumpy, Doc, etc. Oh that Walt. They used to mine gold, now turned brigands, but they have good hearts and pledge themselves to Snow White.

So, Snow White breaks free, but is chased by the Huntsman who was sent to capture her alive to bring back to the castle. Chris Hemsworth plays the Huntsman. He is widowed and now lives a pathetic life as a drunkard. Still, he's been to the dark forest, so the Queen sends him after Snow. Can I call her Snow for short? The Queen makes him an offer he can't refuse, but when he finds Snow, he ends up helping her, learning that the Queen had lied to him. He realizes she's more trouble than she's worth, but she has a capacity to heal the hurt in others and he finds that he is starting to come to life again after losing his wife. He's finding a reason to keep on living and trying.

My question is, if you had a choice, would you pick steadfast William, who is passionate about everything and is also the most amazing archer in the land, or would you choose the Huntsman, who is strong, but vulnerable at the same time. He has experienced great loss, but finds a purpose in protecting Snow. It did bother me slightly that he was never actually named and none of his companions bothered to ask him what his name was. He was just always called by and referred to as Huntsman.

The answer to that question for me would be the Huntsman. Tortured soul?? I'm a sucker for the angsty boys. And he's Chris Hemsworth, come on!

The movie was visually stunning, with a lot of footage where there was not a lot of dialogue. And while ti won't win any Oscars for best film, it really wasn't too bad. I like it better than Red Riding Hood.  If I find the movie on a cheap, cheap sale again like last Black Friday weekend I might pick it up, because again, hey, Chris Hemsworth!!!

They are reportedly making a sequel, which makes sense since this one ended kind of abruptly with some meaningful looks being passed between characters and a rousing chorus of Long Live the Queen. From what I have been able to gather, they have a new director, but the main actors should be signing back on.  I up for a sequel!!