Snow White and the Huntsman: The First Thing You’ll Learn About MK

MK says…

No, not Michael Kors. I wish.

I mean, no. I don’t wish I were him. I just wish I owned things designed by him. That’s what I meant. I like being of the female gender.

Just me, MK. Midwest college girl with a love for all types of media—books, movies, television, news, you name it.

My current beau (who shall hereby be referred to by the pseudonym TJ) is sick of me telling him every detail about every single movie I see or book I read, especially if he hasn’t seen or read what I’m talking about.

Therefore, I figured a more productive way for me to unleash my opinions as well as exercise my creative skills was through blogging about what I read, see, and do. I do not imagine this blog will be confined to movie reviews or anything of that nature. I imagine I'll expand into writing about college life, work life, sorority life, trying not to fail at life-life, etc.

I’ve never done this before, so we’ll see how it goes.

Hello, blogging world! Here’s my first post.

Snow White and the Huntsman: The First Thing You’ll Learn About MK

The first thing you’ll learn about me is that I love girls who kick ass.

Cue eye roll. Cue scoff.

What can I say? I’m a product of the nineties and beyond—Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sailor Moon, Alias, Veronica Mars, and countless YA fiction novels written by Meg Cabot.

La Femme Nikita came later when I was old enough to tolerate movies with subtitles.

So, Snow White and the Huntsman…yup, I liked it. Here are a few comments I had. No strict review, just my thoughts.

If you need a synopsis, go to its IMDB page.

-                I got to the movie on time, 9PM sharp, on a Saturday night. Yes, Saturday night is a popular night for movies. However, I was NOT expecting the ENTIRE theater to be filled. The last time I had trouble finding a seat, not on a premiere night, was when Avatar came out. Who said movie theaters were dying out? Movies like this will keep crowds coming back. Wow. Furthermore, there’s something different about seeing a movie with a huge crowd as opposed to watching one in the comfort of your own home. The energy is infectious. The gasps, the laughter, the crying—it’s all necessary to the movie experience. Snow White and the Huntsman definitely delivered in that aspect.

-                I think every review of Snow White and the Huntsman is going to comment on the stunning visual effects. They’re right to do so. The film was visually breathtaking, and I didn’t see it in 3D. In fact, it doesn’t exist in 3D. It doesn’t need to, but if it did, I’m sure it would be unbelievable.

-                Kristen Stewart sucked less than normal. Like, I didn’t hate her. Okay, I never hate her. I just do not entirely believe that her acting is as wonderful as her hoards of fans make it out to be. Although that doesn’t entirely matter. What matters is that she has hoards of fans and draws an incredible mass of people to every movie she’s in. I can’t argue with success. The point is, she didn’t suck. Way to go, Bella.

-                Charlize Theron. Holy crap. What a woman. What an actress. I’m not saying this just because I’d go lesbian for the woman, but my word, she is an amazing actress. Charlize Theron as Ravenna—hauntingly, chillingly, masterfully, beautiful.

-                The clothes. Oh man, the clothes were great. A+, costume designer.

Speaking of clothes, Kristen Stewart’s costumes managed to stay more or less androgynous throughout the movie. I liked this touch. It added to the whole “not your typical fairytale princess” theme. When she was all suited up in chainmail, they didn’t try to give her a chest piece that accentuated, well, her chest. This was good. This made her a real warrior, not just a girl in a sexed-up metal suit.

Charlize Theron’s costumes were a stark contrast to Stewart’s. Ravenna was in form-fitting, body-flattering outfits. They were gorgeous, dark, and undeniably alluring. So what was the movie trying to tell us about good vs. evil? I don’t want to start writing an academic paper on this, but there seemed to be some distinct undertones in the film. Something about changing views on “beauty” and the feminine form. Of course the classic Snow White story is centered upon the worth of beauty, but there was more in this version. Stewart was beautiful as she was—dirty, clothes ripped, wearing pants in a time when girls did not wear pants, imperfect, not anything like the goddess that is Charlize Theron—and that’s a great statement on where today’s film heroine is headed.

-                Florence + the Machine’s “Breath of Life” song in the credits of the movie. Yes. Yes. Yes. Powerful. Fitting. It pulls at your heart.

-                All the dwarves were familiar faces. It was cute.

Beith (Ian McShane) – Blackbeard from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
      

Muir (Bob Hoskins) – drumroll please…EFFING Smee from Hook and that guy from Who Framed Roger Rabbit! OMG. Also, I loved that they were…do I call a fairytale movie historically accurate?...with his “Doc” mask. See example below.

(http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lh1iupfgrG1qcl4peo1_500.jpg).

Gort (Ray Winstone) – apparently he was in The Departed but I recognized him as Bors from King Arthur.

Nion (Nick Frost) – that dude from Shaun of the Dead.

Duir (Eddie Marsan) - The inspector from Sherlock Holmes. He’s been the bad guy in a lot of movies too that I just can’t think of right now. I think he was in Gangs of New York. I’m too lazy to read his whole IMDB page. He’s been in a lot. The end.

Coll (Toby Jones) – Claudius Templesmith from THE HUNGER GAMES (gahhhh!), Captain America, a billion other movies.

Quert (Johnny Harris) – JK, I didn’t recognize this guy.

Gus (Brian Gleeson) – Alright, I didn’t recognize him either.

Beware, there be spoilers ahead. BUT REALLY. DO NOT READ AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE MOVIE.

I don’t want anyone freaking out at me because I gave away integral details.

-                The Huntsman. What a great deviation from the a-typical Prince Charming. William was a cutie and totally heroic, I’ll give him that. The Huntsman however, was…well he’s Thor. But besides that, he’s a man in pain, trying to better himself. What a great male protagonist. The twist with Snow waking up? Wonderful. The perfect prince isn’t always the perfect one for the princess. I like that the rugged, kind of messed up guy, has a chance with the princess.

- The Fairies. Okay, everyone in the theater started cracking up when they came out of the birds' chests. I get their purpose and the fact that they helped Snow escape and all, but they were the only fairies shown. Other fairies were alluded to, sure. However, their appearance felt strange. Also, they looked like strange, creepy, little creatures. I know they were supposed to be all magical and whatever but I honestly do not think anyone in the theater could take them seriously.

-                So…who does Snow White fall for in the end? It’s the Huntsman? It’s William? She totally kissed Ravenna when she thought it was William. She wanted him then. However, at the end of the film, Snow looks for the Huntsman after being crowned. They exchange a knowing look.

Word on the street is that Snow White and the Huntsman is to be part of a trilogy. When I first heard that, I was thinking “oh cool, they’re going to do two more movies with two other princesses like Cinderella and Belle…and maybe they’ll all team up and kick ass or something.” Do I take that back? Is this going to be solely a Snow White trilogy? Can they build a trilogy on unanswered questions about a love triangle? There’s potential there, definitely, but I’m not entirely sure if there’s potential for two more movies. I guess Ravenna could totally not be dead. We’ll see.

MK says…4/5. The film dragged at some points and there were some questionable dialogue choices. However, I’d definitely say this film is worth seeing. It’s a story, an adventure story, a fairytale. It's a departure from your loved, but idyllic and protected Disney Princess. It should be enjoyed as such.

How did you feel about the ending? Would you enjoy further installments of Snow White and the Huntsman?