The Huntsman & Two Dead Chicks

[redbrunja]

Is yahoo telling anyone else they need to log back in after three minutes and then, when you opened a new browser, acting like you're already logged in? Okay, just me then.

So, I saw Snow White & The Huntsman tonight.

First, a note on the movie going experience: the theater was so packed when my friends and I went to get our seats that we actually traded in our tickets for a later show, so we wouldn't have to sit in the very front room. Then, during several of the quieter scenes, the rumble of Prometheus was heard from the theater next to us.

As for the movie itself.... I'm giving it a C. C+ if I'm feeling generous.



Because see, here is the thing - when you show an abused woman who fights back and wins and then is desperately trying not to lose her power... that is the fierce bitch I am going to be rooting for. Especially when she's the best actor in the film.

So Ravenna was FUCKING FABULOUS. The other thing that was great was the BUCKET LOADS OF TWISTED SUBTEXT. The way Ravenna killed (especially the king and Snow White) was sexualized as all fuck, Ravenna and her brother were most likely screwing, Ravenna and Snow White had some epic eye-fucking going on, Ravenna's brother wanted to nail Snow White, there was all this violent penetration via weaponry....

Also, the romance between the Huntsman and his dead wife was about ten times more interesting than what he had going on with Snow White. I feel like his kiss only woke her up because he and/or True Love got confused about who he was kissing.

What didn't work so well was.... basically everything else. Helmsworth's strange, strange accent. Snow White getting saved pretty much through the entire film by dudes. That boring interlude with the dwarves. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GET-AWAY HORSE? Either of Snow White's romances.



Oh! If you do see this film in theaters, I would recommend staying while Florence + The Machine's Breath of Life plays. Because that was FUCKING AWESOME in high-quality audio.

Comments

[qualapec.livejournal.com]

Because see, here is the thing - when you show an abused woman who fights back and wins and then is desperately trying not to lose her power... that is the fierce bitch I am going to be rooting for. Especially when she's the best actor in the film.

Yes. THANK YOU. Her whole narrative was just spot-on and BAMF and I loved it.

I've gotta say, as far as the subtext goes, my favorite part was at the end, when Snow goes, "You can never have my heart."

But mostly, the writing was just comical. I couldn't take it seriously.

Also...was I the only one who picked up on the Jesus allegory surrounding Snow White in this one?

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Yes. THANK YOU. Her whole narrative was just spot-on and BAMF and I loved it.

The only thing I didn't love was the ending. It should have ended with her and Snow making out and being young forever.

Also...was I the only one who picked up on the Jesus allegory surrounding Snow White in this one?

Yes? Now that you mention it, I see it, though.

[just-shai.livejournal.com]

Abuse survival is not an excuse for perpetuating it.

[qualapec.livejournal.com]

No, it's not an excuse for perpetuating it, but it definitely made her the most interesting character in the film.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I have same feelings as qualapec - I find Ravenna's history of abuse combined with her belief that she is a kinder person than her abuser(s?) FASCINATING. It's not about excusing her behavior, it's about what's most narratively interesting to me.

[just-shai.livejournal.com]

Oh, that is quite certainly true. Charlize Theron was the reason I went to see the movie. She always makes her characters so vibrant and fascinating.

[zombie_boogie.livejournal.com]

RAVENNA WAS SO LEGIT. But then I got annoyed at the film for insisting on doing the whole tired fairy tale Good Woman vs. Bad Woman thing. Like. Do you have to do the "pure-hearted young woman defeats the big bad queen" thing again, especially considering the queen had some pretty legitimate concerns against the patriarchy. It's problematic to me that with those concerns she was still positioned as evil and needing to be defeated. I want a Snow White movie where Snow White and the Queen end up coming to an understanding and join forces. And then there are makeouts. There were good bits in the film in terms of themes and imagery, but it was all bogged down under the convoluted script.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

For a minute there I thought that Snow White's defeat of Ravenna was going to lead to Ravenna, like, losing her memory but regaining her youth and getting a second chance. BUT NO.

I want a Snow White movie where Snow White and the Queen end up coming to an understanding and join forces. And then there are makeouts.

I would love this SO DAMN MUCH.

[liviapenn.livejournal.com]

I think the get-away horse got stuck in quicksand, but then they chickened out of showing it actually sinking, which is ironic considering that right after that we got 20 minutes of gross things crawling on Snow White's face and trees bleeding black blood and other nightmare fuel. ^_^

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Speaking personally, I found the horse (presumably) dying MUCH more upsetting than the bugs.

[liviapenn.livejournal.com]

It just seems weird to me that they would kill the horse, but not show it. If you're *trying* to be disturbing (which it seemed like they were, most of the time) then show it. Or, if they were like "We can't show the horse dying!" then... maybe just don't kill the horse! Especially since it seemed to be a magic horse, showing up exactly at the right place/right time. How does a magic horse get killed by ordinary quicksand? It's just weird/sloppy storytelling.

[tigerpetals.livejournal.com]

I don't have high expectations for movies, so while it wasn't as good as I hoped, I didn't think it was bad. I wasn't really interested in Snow White's romances either, so I was glad she ended up single. I hoped for more backstory on Ravenna and on how her mirror worked.

I keep repeating this about the movie, but while I am not a special effects person and some of the things were a bit over the top, I loved how the visuals set the mood in this film.

I stayed throughout the credits for that music.

ETA: Basically I wouldn't go lower than your grade.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I keep repeating this about the movie, but while I am not a special effects person and some of the things were a bit over the top, I loved how the visuals set the mood in this film.

The visuals were, hands-down, the best part.

[blackestfaery.livejournal.com]

Aside from the random CG that happened (freaking fairies, could've done without all of that part of the movie, I think), I highly enjoyed the way it was filmed. Probably because that's how I think and imagine things when I read books. What does the water look like sloughing off the roof of that dilapidated house? How bright is blood on freshly fallen snow? How loud are the horses' hooves on the beach?

I thought Charlize Theron did an incredible job as Ravena. She was stunning in beauty and her acting, and I was just simply creeped out by her brother and the relationship they hint at. Can't give a real grading to it. I can't say I loved it but I did enjoy it—just really wanted to know the Huntsman's name.

[tigerpetals.livejournal.com]

From other people it's Eric? But it didn't make it into the movie for some reason. Yeah, what I enjoyed most was the sensory tone of the scenes. That's what made it feel like a fairytale.

ETA: But I loved the fairies, how they looked and how they popped out of those birds. I like that these fairies are meant to be unsettlingly strange, and it also recalled Ravenna eating the birds' hearts earlier.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I highly enjoyed the way it was filmed.

Agreed. The mood and atmosphere was ACES.

thought Charlize Theron did an incredible job as Ravena. She was stunning in beauty and her acting, and I was just simply creeped out by her brother and the relationship they hint at.

*nods* Hands down, she was my favorite part of the movie.