TV warning: stylish look and lots of stars, but this fantasy blockbuster is mercilessly boring

“Snow White & The Huntsman” will be broadcast today, March 1, 2024 at 8:15 PM on Super RTL. There will be a repeat on March 2 at 9:50 PM. If these dates don’t suit you but you still want to see the film despite our warning, you can watch it at any time as part of your flat rate subscription WOW (formerly Sky Ticket)* or Amazon Prime Video*current. Or you can get it as (4K/UltraHD) Blu-ray, DVD or paid video-on-demand.

For “Snow White and the HuntsmanWhen the film hit theaters in 2012, there was great anticipation among fantasy fans. No wonder, because the circumstances and ingredients were actually perfect for feature debutant Rupert Sanders, who won several awards as a commercial director, to experience a triumph on the big screen.

The Brit not only had a mega budget of 170 million dollars at his disposal to remake the worldwide popular fairy tale ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’. He also had superstars like Marvel’s Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”), Kristen Stewart from the “Twilight” saga and Oscar winner Charlize Theron (“Mad Max: Fury Road”) plus a lot of great character actors in front of the camera.

Unfortunately, the result of Sanders’ work is a huge disappointment. In our FILMSTARTS review, editor-in-chief Christoph Petersen testifies that the film can certainly inspire visually – as a result there were even Oscar nominations for the brilliant-looking costumes and the successful special effects. However, the top-notch cast either remains terribly pale (Stewart, Hemsworth) or acts way too fat (Theron). Moreover, the whole thing is terribly boring because the story of the Brothers Grimm never really gets going, and is also told in a whimsical or erratic manner and is populated by apparently bloodless characters. Oof!

The sequel/prequel is considerably better

‘Snow White & The Huntsman’ was successful at the box office, probably thanks to its star power, powerful trailer and the enormous publicity of an amorous interlude between the director and his leading lady that was widely exploited by the tabloids. Despite the many negatives mentioned, there was a sequel. However, Rupert Sanders was no longer actively involved in ‘The Huntsman & The Ice Queen’, which was released four years after the first film. And Kristen Stewart was only seen briefly in archival sequences taken from the first part.

But that’s not just because the sequel, which is also a prequel, has become much better. Apparently the producers and studio had learned from their mistakes and no longer relied solely on continued excellent performance. Instead, new authors were hired who told a much more fluid and engaging story and presented a much more vivid story in terms of the characters.

“The Huntsman & The Ice Queen” is currently in the regular repertoire of streaming subscriptions from Netflix and Amazon Prime Video* included and of course also for sale:

This is the story of Snow White and the Huntsman

Thanks to her cunning and ruthlessness, the power-hungry sorceress Ravenna (Theron) manages to take control of the kingdom. Since then, Snow White (Stewart), the daughter and de facto rightful heir to the throne of the king (Noah Huntley), who was murdered in Ravenna, has been locked up in a tower dungeon in the castle.

When she finally manages to escape from her prison after years, Snow White hides in the enchanted forest. Then Ravenna sends the best tracker in her kingdom, the hunter Eric (Hemsworth), to track her down and kill her. The widower finds the beautiful young woman virtually in no time, but then does not have the heart to take her life as ordered.

The two flee Ravenna together and befriend a group of dwarves (including Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins and Nick Frost). When Snow White’s childhood sweetheart William (Sam Claflin) joins the motley crew, they take to the field against the despot and her army, which is vastly superior in numbers and weapons…

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