The Huntsman: Winter's War

The Huntsman: Winter’s War, 2016

Directed by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, 114 minutes

Chris Hemsworth, Jessica Chastain, Emily Blunt, Charlize Theron

Review by Katherine Scheetz

              Universal’s prequel/sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) treads some fine lines with Disney and Walden Media’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005). Introduced with the warm voice of Liam Neeson as omniscient narrator, we already wonder whether we walked through the wrong door into Narnia when the opening credits roll.

Ravenna (Theron) and Freya (Blunt) are two sisters with power in their blood. After heartbreak unlocks Freya’s affinity to ice magic, she suddenly owns a spired palace situated between two hills with a courtyard full of creatures she’s frozen into statues. Maybe Freya and Jadis just have the same architectural consultant.

Grieving mother that she is, Freya outlaws love in her kingdom and claims the children of the land as her own, making them her army.

Naturally, her two best huntsmen Erik (Hemsworth with a Scottish accent) and Sara (Chastain with an Irish one), fall in love. Erik is known for his skill with an axe. Sara’s skill with a bow is such that she “never misses.” Can we say Queen Susan’s trusty bow?

More tragedy ensues when they are discovered by Freya via ice owl NannyCam and they are separated, seemingly forever.

Then come the seven years where Snow White’s story takes place along with Ravenna’s supposed death.

When Aslan – wait, Neeson – stops narrating and we pick back up with a grieving Erik, he reluctantly agrees to a quest that takes far too long to find Ravenna’s stolen mirror, sandwiched by dwarves and goblins. With just enough time left to fit in an epic battle, Theron materializes from molten gold in the visual pinnacle of the film, gives us a deliciously evil laugh and causes a little chaos.

              James Newton Howard’s resonant score dances with the elegantly choreographed fight sequences. And while all the actors have played their parts well, no one could save the film from innumerable plot holes, a sappy script and blatant plagiarism. Mostly we just praise the great lion for Chris Hemsworth’s smile.

Visit our Pachyderm Reviews GoFundMe page to donate to the Elephants and Bees project by Save the Elephants and receive your own limited edition Pachyderm Reviews t-shirt. To read details on the project and learn why Pachyderm Reviews is supporting them, visit out Get Involved page.