The Huntsman: Winter’s War Review
RYAN: This is a prequel and sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman. I loved it! It’s fantasy at it’s finest in terms of escapism and where the film takes you – all the foliage, the castles, critters and creatures. It’s a Medieval fairy tale you’d wish you could live in. Emily Blunt and Charlize Theron play sorceresses. It’s a creative way to find out what happens next in this perspective on Snow White’s kingdom.
CHUCK: I kept thinking it’s the Evil Queen versus angry Elsa! They created a new fairy tale. The characters are from Snow White and The Ice Queen; they merged those but really created a new story. The prequel part was just exposition for the story – setting up the characters.
RYAN: And it’s the story of these two huntsman – Chris Hemsworth and Jessica Chastain. I love her so much. They have such great chemistry you want them to kiss all the time.
CHUCK: She was great and I had no problem seeing them make out. The first Snow White movie seemed darker. This had some great levity to it.
RYAN: The first one did, too, courtesy of the dwarfs as this did.
CHUCK: The dwarfs were my favorite part. They are great sidekicks.
RYAN: The dwarfs are in this movie what talking animals would be in an animated Disney film.
CHUCK: Right. But they were’s just minor characters.
RYAN: They had subplot.
CHUCK: They were fantastic actors and interestingly, like in some the Hobbit movies and the first Snow White, these were full sized actors CGId to be dwarfs. Very cool.
RYAN: The whole film is expertly cast. And the environments are so quintessentially story book without feeling overly CGId or green screened. And the costumes!
CHUCK: Colleen Atwood who is the best. Some of Emily’s looked like they weighed over a hundred pounds.
RYAN: They were so creative – both hers and Emily’s were so inspired by the powers they had.
CHUCK: Gold and silver, ice and fire. But even the Huntsmen and the dwarfs had such detail.
RYAN: It’s one of my favorite fantasy films. Some parts were predictable but it’s no different from seeing an adaptation of a fairy tale you already know. It doesn’t make it any less enjoyable.
CHUCK: It’s an action/fairy tale. You don’t go in expecting anything different than what it is. Chris is so great. I really like him. And this is the first time we see Emily evil.
RYAN: Chris is so divinely cute. And it’s cool seeing more of Emily in fantasy, after Into the Woods. And Snow White still has a presence, even without having Kristen Stewart in this one. I’m rooting for a trilogy. I hope this does well.