Having seen Snow White and the Huntsman I was naturally worried that a prequel was going to be a lesser vehicle. I needn’t have worried: I preferred The Huntsman: Winter’s War to the first movie.
Having said that, it does pay homage to many other films: The Hobbit, Game of Thrones and Narnia to name three. There are distinct similarities to some of the characters in these movies, but this only works in the film’s favour. They help us feel at home with the genre, relax (if that’s possible in an action flick) and enjoy the experience.
The Huntsman: Winter’s War starts before Queen Ravenna was vanquished by Snow White’s blade. She watched as her sister Freya suffered a heartbreaking betrayal and left the kingdom. Freya’s ability to freeze any enemy allowed the young Ice Queen to spend years in a remote wintry palace raising an army of deadly Huntsmen, including Eric and warrior Sara, only to find that her prized two soldiers defied her one demand to forever harden your hearts to love.
When Freya learns of her sister’s death, she summons her remaining soldiers to bring the Magic Mirror home to the only sorceress left who can use its power. Once she resurrects Ravenna, the wicked sisters threaten this enchanted land with twice the darkness. Now their army proves unbeatable unless the banished Huntsmen, who broke their Queen’s rule, can fight their way back to one another.
Chris Hemsworth (as Eric, the Huntsman) and Charlize Theron (as Ravenna, the Evil Queen) reprise their roles from the original film and are joined by Emily Blunt as Ravenna’s sister, Freya the Ice Queen.
All three combine their considerable acting skills to bring their roles to life. Especially interesting was Emily Blunt’s character, who is torn between loss and revenge. Freya added a nice counterpoint between the other two characters.
The supporting cast for this film is memorable. Jessica Chastain as Sara, Hemsworth’s love interest and fellow huntsman (or is it huntswoman?), Nick Frost as Eric’s sidekick dwarf, and Sheridan Smith as the worldly-wise Mrs. Bromwyn. Between the three of them, they provided most of the film’s tongue-in-cheek humour.
Directed by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, The Huntsman: Winter’s War is not short on special effects or an evocative score. It moves along at an impressive pace and is cinematographically stunning thanks to Phedon Papamichael.
While some might think this film is a little formulaic, it is, after all, a derivative of a fairy tale, and they all have happy endings, don’t they?
Reviewed by Barry Hill
Twitter: @kinesguy
Rating out of 10: 9
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