Has everybody in America seen this movie already? Probably…AND the story is old as dirt, so at least I don’t have to worry about spoilers…but I don’t have to worry about them anyway since there’s not really anything to spoil for a story so old.
What Works: In two words: Charlize Theron. She takes the stock role of the “Evil Stepmother,” and actually gives her a vulnerability we don’t expect. See, her Evil Queen is actually furious at being a woman in a world where men use up women and throw them away, and that slight, feminist-gone-wrong quality is perhaps the most original thing in the movie. It certainly adds a new wrinkle to why the Queen’s beauty is literally her power and immortality, and why she’s so threatened by Snow White. Speaking of which, Kristen Stewart isn’t half-bad in a role that is largely about being an image of sly-eyed innocence more than really performing…
What Doesn’t Work: Of course, she isn’t at all convincing in that body armor the movie asks her to rock later on in the movie…and why did that come so late anyway? This Snow White is supposed to be a rollicking ass-kicker leading an insurgency against the Queen, so why does it take 90 percent of the movie before she does anything even remotely strong? Seems like more of the same old, same old, and in a world where young girls have more action-adventure role models than ever (Hunger Games, Pixar’s Brave), it’s pretty hard to see this Snow White as an essential addition.
What I Would Have Done Differently: Ditched the “love triangle” element (which is not fleshed out nearly enough). Ditched the seven dwarfs, since they show up way late, don’t do much of anything, and are just thrown in because the story felt like it needed to (it didn’t). Perhaps explored this fantasy world a little more in-depth, since by now the Snow White story is so old, why not squeeze maximum new juice out of it by exploring new parts of the setting or inventing a couple new creatures? And, in particular, given Charlize and Kristen more scenes together since, as is, they barely have any screen time in the same room. Watching this twisted, younger woman vs. older woman for ultimate beauty dynamic play out should have a lot more of a charge than it does.