VIEWED: Snow White and the Huntsman

After posting this review several times since November, and honestly thinking it had been re-released several times, we finally saw it.

My original recommendation for this one was...

"While I trust Snow White and the Huntsman will stick to its fairy tale roots and have the happy ending, I like the dark medieval feel and am curious as to how it will play out. The trailer kind of reminded me of Harry Potter meets Lord of the Rings. While I doubt Snow White will be as epic, I get the sense that it'll be an entertaining spin. I think I'll see this one on the big screen."

It did stick to it's fairy tale roots.  Though the seven dwarfs didn't appear in the trailer I reviewed, it was nice to see them appear in the film.  They were tougher than the Disney dwarfs.

Chris Hemsworth was very good. Is it just me or is he kind of like a buff Heath Ledger?  Regardless, he showed some good acting chops and clearly demonstrated that he's a multi-dimentional actor.

For that matter, all the actors played their roles well and there were no weak links at all.  I didn't think of Rita once (please see my trailer review for reference) because Charlize played the evil queen very well.

The enchanted forest was very Disney-esque and I thought the dwarfs would break out into song.  They didn't and the film got dark again. 

While the film was mildly entertaining, at least 20 minutes of it could have been left on the editing room floor.  And, dark though it was, it was a hollow sort of dark.  Kind of like a vampire with no teeth.

Snow White and the Huntsman...

I swear this film has been released and re-released three times now... here's what I wrote when I reviewed the trailer in November of last year...

After watching the trailer for Snow White and the Huntsman, another trailer caught my eye called, Mirror Mirror.  I watched that one, too.  Mirror Mirror is a comedy of sorts and a kind of twist like Drew Barrymore's Ever After: A Cinderella Story.  It's kind of annoying how two movies with basically the same story are released around the same time.  It happens every so often, but that's not what I'm reviewing...

Snow White and the Huntsman looks pretty damn cool.  The original Brother's Grimm story wasn't the light Disney story.  It was a harsh look at vanity and envy served with cruelty and supernatural elements - no mention of dwarfs in the trailer.  One of the elements of a "fairy tale" is the happy ending.   I've heard that early, original "fairy tales" were created to scare kids into choosing a righteous path.  I wonder what the modern equivalent is?

Charlize Theron.  She looks great as the evil queen.  She's made some good movies and was intense in her Oscar winning performance in Monster.  The problem is that every time I see her, now, I think of the character she played in Arrested Development.  She played, Rita, a developmentally delayed (not sure if that's the politically correct term) love interest of Michael.  She was funny and cute and it further showed her versatility, especially after Monster.  I just hope that I don't think of Rita and giggle while the evil queen in Snow White and the Huntsman is trying to scare me.

While I trust Snow White and the Huntsman will stick to its fairy tale roots and have the happy ending, I like the dark medieval feel and am curious as to how it will play out. The trailer kind of reminded me of Harry Potter meets Lord of the Rings.  While I doubt Snow White will be as epic, I get the sense that it'll be an entertaining spin.

I think I'll see this one on the big screen.

VIEWED: Men In Black 3

My recommendation for this one was...

"As a trailer, MIB3 has all the fun, familiarity and twists to indicate that it'll be just as entertaining as the others, and Josh Brolin as a young K looks hilariously dead pan. I will see this one on a big screen."

Will Smith is always good.  Tommy Lee Jones is always Tommy Lee Jones, which is good.   Josh Brolin was awesome doing a perfect impersonation of Tommy Lee Jones, which was good.

Jemaine Clement, who plays the super villain, Boris the Animal, is freaking hilarious.  He was hilarious in Flight of the Conchords and Dinner for Schmucks.  All I can say about Flight of the Conchords is: watch season one only.  It's like making up music videos about the mundane and playing them in your head while in a waiting room. Brilliant.

Given what this franchise is, I thought the ending was a bit too emotionally manipulative.  You don't watch MIB to get emotional or role your eyes... I did the latter of course.

The Verdict: While MIB3 had all the right elements for an entertaining addition to the franchise, it was like anticipating an explosion from dynamite and only hearing a fire-cracker. 

Max Beerbohm Quote for June

"To destroy is still the strongest instinct in nature."