The film is a darker and grittier take on the beloved fairy tale of Snow White, and obviously the main focus of this version in particular has been the question, "Does Kristen Stewart really fit the role of Snow White?" And the answer is yes; it is certainly more complicated than that however. While she gives a similar performance in the film to all her other roles, it does fit Snow White. Here we have a damaged princess, who, for reasons unknown has been chosen not only to save the kingdom from darkness, but also deal with the death of her parents, loss of her brother, and imprisonment within the castle. So clearly the princess with lips as red as blood, and hair as black as night is a little damaged. Stewart's singular personality she is typecast in often fits the bill, and she ultimately gives a suitable, but not great performance as Snow White.
Oddly enough, it is the two other lead roles, not that of Snow White that deliver extremely fantastic performances. Charlize Theron is chillingly wicked and devious as the Evil Queen, and it is certainly more than believable that she would go to the extreme lengths of murder and curses to hold on to her beauty eternally. Chris Hemsworth in the other lead role plays the Huntsman, a tall, burly and physically massive warrior who uses his brute force to crush anything in his path. Sound familiar to any of Hemsworths' other recent roles? A certain god of thunder perhaps? This similarity of roles actually proves to work fantastically, and he is able to give his character of the generic 'Huntsman' more dimension than that of the princess herself.
The film is certainly superior to it's visually appealing yet depth lacking sister, Mirror Mirror, as it is able to succeed in being good if not mediocre on both fronts, but if you're already familiar with the story of Snow White, the film doesn't prove to be an extremely revolutionary take on the story. This causes Snow White & the Huntsman to be less of a must-see and more of a rental if you'd like to experience it.
