SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN - IMAGE: Universalzz
Snow White and the Huntsman
is beautifully, blessedly graphic. It goes far beyond threats of
dismemberment and filicide. There’s the dark forest, which provides Snow
White (Kristen Stewart) with questionable sanctuary but plays out like
an LSD-laced fever dream, populated by banshee marsh creatures and every
infestation imaginable. And, of course, there’s the queen (Charlize
Theron) and her method for keeping things tight, which is a little bit
bloody Countess Báthory, a little bit The Leech Woman. Theron,
with her constant facial cracks and rejuvenation, fits of rage and
bipolar lapses into quiet, pulls much of the film’s focus. It’s
unfortunate that soldier Stewart was made to be so much the center of
the film and its marketing. Another scene of Theron wining and dining on
the blood of the innocent might have made for more compelling cinema.
- Showing at: Laurelhurst Theater.
- Best paired with: Trumer Pils.
- Also showing: Conan the Barbarian (Bagdad. 11 pm Friday, Aug. 3).
