Susan Granger’s review of “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” (Universal Pictures)
So much went wrong with this disjointed prequel/sequel to “Snow White and the Huntsman” (2012) that it could serve as a warning to aspiring filmmakers.
First, there’s no Snow White. After Kristen Stewart had a scandalous, ill-fated fling with married director Rupert Sanders, it was obvious that neither would be returning for this next episode.
Salary troubles surfaced when Sony e-mail hacks revealed Charlize Theron was to be paid substantially less than Chris Hemsworth; she refused to sign until she got the same $10 million+ as her co-star.
Then, A-list screenwriters David Koepp and Frank Darabont exited the project, leaving Evan Spiliotopoulos and Craig Mazin to dabble with (but never develop) the campy, medieval characters created by Evan Daugherty – with a nod to Elsa’s Snow Queen in Disney’s “Frozen” – under the aegis of VFX supervisor-turned-director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan.
The characters are introduced by a narrator (Liam Neeson): there’s scheming, perennially evil Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) who feuds with her rage-filled, recently disillusioned younger sister, Ice Queen Freya (Emily Blunt). They’re challenged by former child soldiers Sara (Jessica Chastain) and Eric (Chris Hemsworth) who, years ago, were kidnapped from their homes and forced to serve in Freya’s frosty Army.
Then along comes Prince William (Sam Claflin), a leftover morsel from “Snow White and the Huntsman,” who recruits hunky, ax-throwing Eric to recover the coveted Magic Mirror. He’s joined in this quest by dwarves Nion (Nick Frost), his half-brother Gryff (Rob Brydon) and Bromwyn (Sheridan Smith), along with Sara.
What works? The spectacular visual effects, particularly the shape-shifting liquid gold of the Mirror – thanks to production designer Dominic Watkins, cinematographer Phedon Papamichael, and costume designer Colleen Atwood.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” is a fumbling 4, a fatally flawed fairytale.
