I am a fan of Chris Hemsworth, there hasn’t been anything I have seen him in that I don’t like. If all I do is work, can I still find love? It’s a good family film with a live-action, slightly grown up twist on a fantasy-based story. “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” hits theaters this weekend, and it’s loaded with big stars. I wish I hadn’t and here are some reasons why. At least the first movie had a devious mirror; here we get a Liam Neeson VO monotonously explaining everything. Now granted, I really enjoyed watching the first instalment and the raw take on the classic tale, but not including the character of Snow White (even though Kristen Stewarts performance was nothing special) felt felt odd for this particular continuation.In this film, we see Ravenna murder her husband, the king, over a game of chess, and we meet her sister, Freya (Emily Blunt), who is in love, pregnant, and seems to have no magical powers like her sister’s. Gifted with the ability to freeze her enemies in ice, Freya teaches her young soldiers to never fall in love. Instead, we’re here to follow the exploits of that huntsman, played once again by Chris Hemsworth, as he is separated from the love of his life, a fellow warrior named Sara (Jessica Chastain).
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Then there’s a flash-forward, and several unlikely returns (none of which are Snow White) and dwarves. Freya is too distraught to stay in the castle in which her daughter was killed, so she flees to build her own kingdom and leaves Ravenna behind to lead their homeland. I don’t know what dirt, if any, the studio has on the actors to make them do The Huntsman: Winter’s War, but if it’s there, it must have been good.
In this image released by Universal Pictures, Jessica Chastain appears in a scene from “Huntsman: Winter’s War”. The story line is way too predictable for starters. It makes me wonder if Hollywood is already tapped out of original ideas.
For comic relief from this dark fantasy four dwarves are introduced during a search for the mirror in the forest.
It’s a prequel and a sequel! Her cold, sinister and heartless turn as Freya is both surprising and entertaining coming from an actress who normally does not portray those characteristics in her films. It is a shame with such a great cast coming together the end result is kind of a let down.
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“The Huntsman: Winter’s War” writer Evan Spiliotopoulis said that the franchise was actually planning to go two ways after “Snow White and the Huntsman” wrapped up. Add in stunning visuals and a decent ensemble cast (still decent despite their awful accents) and you’ve got an entertaining film for the family this weekend.
