| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
From director J.J. Abrams comes the next installment in the Star Trek saga, Star Trek Into Darkness. See it at Cinemark theaters now and pre-order on Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, DVD, and the Exclusive Starfleet Phaser Gift Set. Shop Star Trek Into Darkness and more in the Star Trek Store. Learn more |
Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
Special Features
None.
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Definitely not your average retelling of the classic Snow White fairy tale, Snow White and the Huntsman is a dark, action-fantasy film that's based more on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale than the well-known Disney version of the story. It features intriguing concepts, impressive special effects, and some disappointingly lackluster acting. The essence of the "Snow White" story is preserved in this recounting: the queen's beautiful daughter Snow White, who is heir to the throne, is displaced and persecuted by an evil stepmother after her mother dies. Here, the evil stepmother Ravenna possesses a disturbing power to maintain her own perpetual youth by stealing youthfulness from the hearts of the young and beautiful, but her magic mirror warns that Snow White's innocence and purity as she comes of age will destroy Ravenna's chance at immortality. When Snow White escapes from the castle prison, Ravenna hires a downtrodden Huntsman to bring her back so that Ravenna can steal her youth and achieve personal immortality. But Snow White runs into a dark and sinister forest where mushrooms disperse hallucinogenic spores, trees come to life, flocks of bats spring from inanimate objects, and dwarves lurk in the shadows. The roles of the seven dwarves and the Huntsman in this version of the story prove to be quite different from the original, but what remain steadfast are Snow White's inner strength and absolute goodness, and her stepmother's innate evilness. This film is full of fascinating imagery that's brought to life through powerful special effects, great costuming, and captivating cinematography--the scenes in the dark forest and the fairy-filled wilderness beyond are reason enough to see it. Unfortunately, the story moves a bit slowly and the acting by Kristen Stewart (Snow White) and Chris Hemsworth (Huntsman) is rather stoical and passionless and lacks chemistry, though Charlize Theron does stand out as a particularly disturbing Ravenna. --Tami Horiuchi
Product Description
In the epic action-adventure Snow White & the Huntsman, Kristen Stewart (Twilight) plays the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen (Oscarr winner Charlize Theron) who is out to destroy her. But what the wicked ruler never imagined is that the young woman threatening her reign has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, Thor) who was dispatched to kill her. Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) joins the cast as the prince long enchanted by Snow White's beauty and power. The breathtaking new vision of the legendary tale is from Joe Roth, the producer of Alice in Wonderland, producer Sam Mercer (The Sixth Sense) and acclaimed commercial director and state-of-the-art visualist Rupert Sanders.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
326 of 389 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Oho! I knew it was only a matter of time before Kristen Stewart and I would cross paths. I've avoided the Twilight saga like the cooties, and so I've missed out on the fuss and the furor about her. But I couldn't pass up on SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN like I passed up on MIRROR MIRROR, and, it turns out, I sort of fancy Stewart's performance. Skin white as snow, lips red as roses, hair black as a raven's wing. That fleshes out Kristen Stewart to a tee. Still, it's nigh impossible to trump Charlize Theron's turn as Snow White's rather... self-absorbed... step-mother. Theron simply mesmerizes. She's so good there are moments you sympathize with her - that poor, gorgeous, demented queen who as a girl was cursed by a mother's dark gift. Evil begets evil, and you sense that Ravenna must have endured some unspeakable sh--. Not that that makes up for her nasty practice of sucking the beauty and vitality out of innocent girls... Queen Ravenna is like the grim fairy tale version of Project Runway.
It's a darker iteration, grittier, moodier, more full-blooded. I think the Brothers Grimm would've approved of this interpretation; it matches their gristly sensibilities more. If you've brushed up on the fairy tale, then you know the kernel of the story. SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN tweaks and embellishes on that. When the vain and vile but oh-so-beautiful witch Ravenna (Theron) murders her husband, the king, on their wedding night, it upends the kingdom, sinks it into a realm of despair and oppression. We also learn that this is only the most recent in a long series of regicides that Ravenna has committed. The king had one young daughter, Snow White, lovely and bright and pure, whom Ravenna promptly sentences to incarceration in the castle dungeons. For years Snow White languishes in wretched confinement.
I don't know how I feel about how the magic mirror is presented, the film granting it the ability to metamorphose, liquid metal like, into a faceless, flowing figure that stands before Ravenna whenever she extends that one familiar question. I get that they were trying to change it up with the mirror, but then they forgot the follow-thru. so, the mirror can assume a form. And then what? And then nothing.
In the story I read ages ago, the huntsman takes Snow White into the woods, at the Queen's behest, and in the woods the huntsman was tasked with carving out Snow White's lungs and liver (if I remember it right) as proof of her demise. But the huntsman demonstrates mercy and allows Snow White to flee. He instead presents to the queen the lungs and liver of a boar, and so the queen comes to believe that Snow White was indeed deaders. And so the huntsman exits the tale. But you only have to glance at the film's title to get a whiff that the huntsman (Chris Hemsworth), this time out, lands a meatier role, sticks around a bit longer.
Another fashion in which this film veers away from the fairy tale we know (**coughDisneyAnimatedFilmcough**): I like that there's only a smidgen of romance, but I like that the smidge that IS there is crucial to the plot. Not to get all Twilighty, but the story does force you to choose a camp to follow: that of the surly, drunken huntsman What'shisface or Snow White's childhood pal and the Duke's dashing son, William (Sam Claflin). Note that William is a bowman who seems to rival the Avengers' Hawkeye in uncanny marksmanship. Meanwhile, I think Chris Hemsworth exhibits solid acting chops, lending tortured depth and melancholia to his huntsman. He takes a Scottish accent out for a spin, and I'm gullible enough or listened to James Doohan enough to be convinced by it. But the trailers to ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER put Hemsworth's axe-work to shame.
SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN flaunts a secret weapon, or rather, eight secret weapons, in the shapes of dwarves. It kinda sucks for actual dwarf actors out there, because the film employs normal-height actors who then were CG'd down to Gimli-size. But, then again, Peter Dinklage is damn busy nowadays. These contentious dwarves - as played by the likes of Ian McShane, Ray Winstone, and Nick Frost - end up stealing many scenes.
It's a stunning-looking movie, or to quote my date: "Ohhh, so pretty!" Rupert Sanders, after a career of helming snazzy advertisements, makes his debut as a feature film director. He brings along that same eye for spectacular visuals. He lends a spooky and foreboding atmosphere to the twisted Black Forest, and it marks Snow White's abject desperation that she elects to seek dubious sanctuary within its sickly boughs. When tree branches make it a habit to transform into serpents, I tend to wonder where I left my chainsaw (sorry, tree huggers). Conversely, Sanders' depiction of the fairyland is pretty damn wondrous and speaks to that inner child still in you (yes, even you). The narrative further expands to allow for Snow's encounter (or yell-off) with a bridge troll, and, later, with a tribe of females that had committed self-mutilation rather than face the Queen's attention. The film's final action flourish consists of the almost requisite epic battle. I've gotta credit Kristen Stewart. She does have presence and she does have charisma. Or maybe those eyes suckered me in. She rolls off that hokey rousing rally speech and just about pulls it off, and that with a British accent (that, okay, occasionally strays). Still, maybe my favorite bit - and I realize I kind of pooh-poohed the romantic angle earlier - concerns the kiss that galvanizes the poisoned princess. I saw it coming, I'm sure you'll see it coming, but it was still a very strong scene. An "Oh, yeah!" kinda scene. Crap, there goes my mushy side. Great. Now even my date is telling me to man up.
The DVD's bonus stuff:
- Option to view the film in either the Theatrical version (02:07:12 hours) or the Extended Edition (02:11:30 hours)
- Audio Commentary by director Rupert Sanders, visual effects supervisor Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, and co-editor Neil Smith
- "A New Legend is Born: Director's Vision Comes to Life" - behind-the-scenes featurette that explores various elements of the film such as the incredible art design, the stunts, the locations, the special effects, etc. (00:20:53 minutes)
It's a darker iteration, grittier, moodier, more full-blooded. I think the Brothers Grimm would've approved of this interpretation; it matches their gristly sensibilities more. If you've brushed up on the fairy tale, then you know the kernel of the story. SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN tweaks and embellishes on that. When the vain and vile but oh-so-beautiful witch Ravenna (Theron) murders her husband, the king, on their wedding night, it upends the kingdom, sinks it into a realm of despair and oppression. We also learn that this is only the most recent in a long series of regicides that Ravenna has committed. The king had one young daughter, Snow White, lovely and bright and pure, whom Ravenna promptly sentences to incarceration in the castle dungeons. For years Snow White languishes in wretched confinement.
I don't know how I feel about how the magic mirror is presented, the film granting it the ability to metamorphose, liquid metal like, into a faceless, flowing figure that stands before Ravenna whenever she extends that one familiar question. I get that they were trying to change it up with the mirror, but then they forgot the follow-thru. so, the mirror can assume a form. And then what? And then nothing.
In the story I read ages ago, the huntsman takes Snow White into the woods, at the Queen's behest, and in the woods the huntsman was tasked with carving out Snow White's lungs and liver (if I remember it right) as proof of her demise. But the huntsman demonstrates mercy and allows Snow White to flee. He instead presents to the queen the lungs and liver of a boar, and so the queen comes to believe that Snow White was indeed deaders. And so the huntsman exits the tale. But you only have to glance at the film's title to get a whiff that the huntsman (Chris Hemsworth), this time out, lands a meatier role, sticks around a bit longer.
Another fashion in which this film veers away from the fairy tale we know (**coughDisneyAnimatedFilmcough**): I like that there's only a smidgen of romance, but I like that the smidge that IS there is crucial to the plot. Not to get all Twilighty, but the story does force you to choose a camp to follow: that of the surly, drunken huntsman What'shisface or Snow White's childhood pal and the Duke's dashing son, William (Sam Claflin). Note that William is a bowman who seems to rival the Avengers' Hawkeye in uncanny marksmanship. Meanwhile, I think Chris Hemsworth exhibits solid acting chops, lending tortured depth and melancholia to his huntsman. He takes a Scottish accent out for a spin, and I'm gullible enough or listened to James Doohan enough to be convinced by it. But the trailers to ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER put Hemsworth's axe-work to shame.
SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN flaunts a secret weapon, or rather, eight secret weapons, in the shapes of dwarves. It kinda sucks for actual dwarf actors out there, because the film employs normal-height actors who then were CG'd down to Gimli-size. But, then again, Peter Dinklage is damn busy nowadays. These contentious dwarves - as played by the likes of Ian McShane, Ray Winstone, and Nick Frost - end up stealing many scenes.
It's a stunning-looking movie, or to quote my date: "Ohhh, so pretty!" Rupert Sanders, after a career of helming snazzy advertisements, makes his debut as a feature film director. He brings along that same eye for spectacular visuals. He lends a spooky and foreboding atmosphere to the twisted Black Forest, and it marks Snow White's abject desperation that she elects to seek dubious sanctuary within its sickly boughs. When tree branches make it a habit to transform into serpents, I tend to wonder where I left my chainsaw (sorry, tree huggers). Conversely, Sanders' depiction of the fairyland is pretty damn wondrous and speaks to that inner child still in you (yes, even you). The narrative further expands to allow for Snow's encounter (or yell-off) with a bridge troll, and, later, with a tribe of females that had committed self-mutilation rather than face the Queen's attention. The film's final action flourish consists of the almost requisite epic battle. I've gotta credit Kristen Stewart. She does have presence and she does have charisma. Or maybe those eyes suckered me in. She rolls off that hokey rousing rally speech and just about pulls it off, and that with a British accent (that, okay, occasionally strays). Still, maybe my favorite bit - and I realize I kind of pooh-poohed the romantic angle earlier - concerns the kiss that galvanizes the poisoned princess. I saw it coming, I'm sure you'll see it coming, but it was still a very strong scene. An "Oh, yeah!" kinda scene. Crap, there goes my mushy side. Great. Now even my date is telling me to man up.
The DVD's bonus stuff:
- Option to view the film in either the Theatrical version (02:07:12 hours) or the Extended Edition (02:11:30 hours)
- Audio Commentary by director Rupert Sanders, visual effects supervisor Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, and co-editor Neil Smith
- "A New Legend is Born: Director's Vision Comes to Life" - behind-the-scenes featurette that explores various elements of the film such as the incredible art design, the stunts, the locations, the special effects, etc. (00:20:53 minutes)
174 of 210 people found the following review helpful
By LaHanna
Format:Amazon Instant Video|Amazon Verified Purchase
I just want to start off by saying that I wanted to like this movie. I really did. However, this film is depressingly skin deep.
The good. The camerawork is absolutely stunning, the special effects as well. Your eyes tell you that there is a marvelous film before you, but that is as far as it goes. I have to say, before I start the bashing, that Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth try their absolute hardest making something out of the lines that they are given. Their performances were touching (Theron more so than the rest) and they at least gave some substance to it. Hemsworth carried most of the film when Theron wasn't in the picture. If it were just a story between the two of them, even with the horrible lines that they were given, it would have been at least a four star film.
Now for the bad, and when I say bad, I mean terrible. I never had much of an opinion about Kristen Stewart before this movie. I steadfastly stayed away from Twilight so I thought I had a pretty clean slate to judge going into this. Stewart, who plays Snow White, has been locked in a tower for years only to escape right before the Queen (Theron), who killed her father the King, kills her and takes her heart. Needless to say, after somehow finding this out in a slightly perverted scene, Snow White runs away. Then she runs away again after she loses her magic pony (actually, she abandons him). Then the Huntsman joins in and he runs away with her too. At some point there's a Troll for all of 30 seconds, then scarred women for another minute or so. At about the 1 hour mark we finally meet the dwarves. Throughout all of this, we maybe get 10 mumbled lines from Stewart. I can't say that this is entirely her fault. It is the writing that is terrible. But then we get to the acting. I swear, every single time Hemsworth spoke to Stewart you could see the pleading in his eyes. It's as if he were trying to say, "Please, give me some sort of emotion to go on!!" Alas, Stewart just stares back at him and breathes. Literally. This is the Snow White we get. A breathing, slightly constipated looking girl who squints off into the distance looking slightly befuddled. You can almost tell that the director is obsessed with Stewart from all of the closeups you get of her. I mean after about the 20th time I get it. She's beautiful. Now show me something MORE. I mean, Snow White, you were LOCKED AWAY in a TOWER for YEARS after witnessing the DEATH of your FATHER and the FALL of your KINGDOM. Any human being would have had some sort of melt down, but all we get is Stewart, looking beautiful. Hasn't anyone told these people that looks can only get you so far?
It was the wooden lead that sealed it for me. No matter how good the surrounding cast, you need a great lead to carry such a heavy weight of a film. Oh, and let's not forget to mention the patch work editing and dead dialogue that made it even worse. I was literally writhing in pain and hitting my forehead with my fist by the time it ended. Truly, it was pure agony to sit through for anyone who likes backstory and acting.
If you want to watch a visually stunning film, this is the movie for you. Before you go watch it though, I strongly suggest that you just mute out the scenes with Stewart, which is most of the film. After all, wasn't it only visual beauty that the director was trying to portray?
The fairest of them all truly is only skin deep.
The good. The camerawork is absolutely stunning, the special effects as well. Your eyes tell you that there is a marvelous film before you, but that is as far as it goes. I have to say, before I start the bashing, that Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth try their absolute hardest making something out of the lines that they are given. Their performances were touching (Theron more so than the rest) and they at least gave some substance to it. Hemsworth carried most of the film when Theron wasn't in the picture. If it were just a story between the two of them, even with the horrible lines that they were given, it would have been at least a four star film.
Now for the bad, and when I say bad, I mean terrible. I never had much of an opinion about Kristen Stewart before this movie. I steadfastly stayed away from Twilight so I thought I had a pretty clean slate to judge going into this. Stewart, who plays Snow White, has been locked in a tower for years only to escape right before the Queen (Theron), who killed her father the King, kills her and takes her heart. Needless to say, after somehow finding this out in a slightly perverted scene, Snow White runs away. Then she runs away again after she loses her magic pony (actually, she abandons him). Then the Huntsman joins in and he runs away with her too. At some point there's a Troll for all of 30 seconds, then scarred women for another minute or so. At about the 1 hour mark we finally meet the dwarves. Throughout all of this, we maybe get 10 mumbled lines from Stewart. I can't say that this is entirely her fault. It is the writing that is terrible. But then we get to the acting. I swear, every single time Hemsworth spoke to Stewart you could see the pleading in his eyes. It's as if he were trying to say, "Please, give me some sort of emotion to go on!!" Alas, Stewart just stares back at him and breathes. Literally. This is the Snow White we get. A breathing, slightly constipated looking girl who squints off into the distance looking slightly befuddled. You can almost tell that the director is obsessed with Stewart from all of the closeups you get of her. I mean after about the 20th time I get it. She's beautiful. Now show me something MORE. I mean, Snow White, you were LOCKED AWAY in a TOWER for YEARS after witnessing the DEATH of your FATHER and the FALL of your KINGDOM. Any human being would have had some sort of melt down, but all we get is Stewart, looking beautiful. Hasn't anyone told these people that looks can only get you so far?
It was the wooden lead that sealed it for me. No matter how good the surrounding cast, you need a great lead to carry such a heavy weight of a film. Oh, and let's not forget to mention the patch work editing and dead dialogue that made it even worse. I was literally writhing in pain and hitting my forehead with my fist by the time it ended. Truly, it was pure agony to sit through for anyone who likes backstory and acting.
If you want to watch a visually stunning film, this is the movie for you. Before you go watch it though, I strongly suggest that you just mute out the scenes with Stewart, which is most of the film. After all, wasn't it only visual beauty that the director was trying to portray?
The fairest of them all truly is only skin deep.
157 of 203 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Charlize Theron is stunningly beautiful and equally talented (as always). I could go on forever, but nothing needs to be said. Film-stealing in both appearance and performance; a wise decision to give the villain more than her fair share of screen time. I so wanted the queen to win.
Chris Hemsworth gave an excellent performance and was easy on the eyes. Rugged on the outside with a soft heart, just the way I like them. I hope we continue to see more of him in the future.
Kristen did what she does best, look the part. Damsel in distress, don't say much, play dead, good job. It's a shame she's so lovely and so talent-less at the same time. It's like Keanu Reeves had a little sister. Thank you to all involved who kept the title character from having to say more than one sentence at a time for almost the whole film. She had one big speech, which she delivered expectantly mediocre, but they had to let her talk some time. I hope her Twilight role doesn't carry her career much further.
All in all a definite go-see. Beautiful effects and a great interpretation of a classic story. Theron 5 stars, Hemsworth 5 stars, Stewart 3.
Chris Hemsworth gave an excellent performance and was easy on the eyes. Rugged on the outside with a soft heart, just the way I like them. I hope we continue to see more of him in the future.
Kristen did what she does best, look the part. Damsel in distress, don't say much, play dead, good job. It's a shame she's so lovely and so talent-less at the same time. It's like Keanu Reeves had a little sister. Thank you to all involved who kept the title character from having to say more than one sentence at a time for almost the whole film. She had one big speech, which she delivered expectantly mediocre, but they had to let her talk some time. I hope her Twilight role doesn't carry her career much further.
All in all a definite go-see. Beautiful effects and a great interpretation of a classic story. Theron 5 stars, Hemsworth 5 stars, Stewart 3.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Huh? What was that?
I bought this film for one reason--Charlize Theron. I guess that will teach me! I played this DVD once and then a second time with the hearing impaired dialog turned on. Read more
Published 17 hours ago by Stuart Mills
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not too bad
I thought this movie was pretty good, although Kristen Stewart needs to take acting lessons. She has the same expressions whether she is mad, shocked, or scared. Read more
Published 17 hours ago by duchess704
4.0 out of 5 stars
surprisingly really good
i didnt think much about the movie in the beginning, but i was really into the story, it was fast moving, not boring, has action... pretty interesting.
Published 21 hours ago by va
5.0 out of 5 stars
loved it
what a good movie it was good it was fun to see a side of the snow white story you dont always hear.
Published 1 day ago by Earl
3.0 out of 5 stars
REAL MOVIE NEWS REVIEW
This is definitely not the Snow White that I grew up with, either on the page or screen. This version comes with a new brand of visuals and adult themes that seem better fit in a... Read more
Published 2 days ago by Ryan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, Dark
This movie isn't really for kids. It's dark and relentless and amazing.
I had heard such bad things about it, and about Kristen Stewart, that I had low... Read more
I had heard such bad things about it, and about Kristen Stewart, that I had low... Read more
Published 3 days ago by P. Schumacher
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW
Not your typical story of Snow White...to be sure!!! Very dark and very action packed. I loved the different twists they put on the story. I loved Charlize Theron's role. Read more
Published 3 days ago by Samantha Rockey
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great movie one of Kristen Stewart's best
this film is absolutly brilliant one of best movies it has great fight scences Kristen Stewart is at her best as Snow White.I would buy from this seller again
Published 3 days ago by miley
2.0 out of 5 stars
Huge disappointment
Whoever cast Kristen Stewart (who I loved in the Twilight series) in this movie must have been having a bad day. Read more
Published 5 days ago by fiberartist
5.0 out of 5 stars
Movie
I loved it.............. I will watch this one over and over again, love the effects and the dark spin on a classic tale
Published 5 days ago by Cassie Bell
