Kristen Stewart as Snow White Review: The Fairest of Them All Fights Her Own Battle
Kristen Stewart as Snow White against Charlize Theron as Evil Queen: Who won the battle of fair beauties? Everyone knows the evil queen cannot win.
In "Snow White and the Huntsman," Kristen Stewart tried to hold her own against the more seasoned Charlize Theron in the acting genre, and she did well enough. As a princess fighting her own battle, she makes an admirable princess worthy of acclaim. It is quite good to see her that way after the Twilight series.
However, Stewart could have done better in some scenes that demanded a display of some very strong emotions driven by fear and courage. 'Snow's' speech for "brothers" to join her in the battle was the worst and weakest part of the film. When there was supposed to be utter terror in her eyes after she took a bite of the Evil Queen's poisoned apple, she looked as if she was just having a really bad stomachache.
When expressions and brilliant acting would save a scene and Stewart does not deliver, it is hard not to feel that you are not getting your money's worth. When Snow emerges to finally come face to face with the Evil Queen, it was like she was up to start a fight with a BFF who stole her boyfriend.
Snow White turns from a happy and perfect child to a grubby prisoner in her castle. Then she becomes this barely-hanging-for-life survivor in the Dark Forest before winning the heart of the huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) sent out to kill her.
Realizing she has to lead an army to reclaim her father's kingdom, she asks, "How will I lead?" Stewart looked confused and afraid, but she did not seem like someone who is truly coming to terms with the reality of her situation.
When Snow realizes she is not talking to her childhood sweetheart William (Sam Claflin), but to the shape-shifting evil queen, she looked more startled than horrified.
The film was designed to contain powerful scenes, but sometimes Stewart just can't deliver. When it comes to stunts, however, Stewart is delightful to watch as a young fierce female finding her own way, sliding her way to make an escape and riding a magical horse to the Dark Forest.
"Kirsten Stewart definitely acts better in this movie," said RottenTomatoes reviewer Nadira Irdiana.
In New York Daily News, Elizabeth Weitzman wrote, "Stewart's characteristic hesitancy - so fitting for the "Twilight" franchise - undercuts her character's impact."
"What Stewart shows in the daunting demands of a Joan of Arc role, opposing the likes of a monster of guile and evil like Theron's majestic, entirely ruthless villain, is that she just can't hack it," wrote Jules Brenner of Cinema Signals.
"Snow White and the Huntsman" gathered a 46% fresh rating from reviewers on RottenTomatoes.com. In contrast, the site's audience rated it 74% on the same film review site.