Yes, No, Maybe So: "Snow White & the Huntsman"
Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 8:00PM Once upon a time there lived a blogger named Nathaniel R who feared all fairy tale reinventions after the gaudiest of poison apples that was Eyesore in Wonderland left him for dead, comatose. But then on the magical day of November the 10th, this trailer for Snow White & The Huntsmen arrived and woke him with something like true love's kiss.
Or is it another trap? Is this another gaudy brain-dead horror malevolently enchanted with a Prince Charming disguise? Dare Nathaniel dream of a happy ending?
YES
- It's never a bad idea to remind us of Madonna's "Frozen" (♥) and that raven form explosion did the trick for an opening and closing gambit.
- Though the title name checks only Snow White (Kristen Stewart) and The Huntsmen (Chris Hemsworth), the trailer promises that this is totally The Evil Queen Show. And we can live with that since Charlize Theron is delicious.
- "Beauty is my power" ...that creepy yet restrained image of the queen bathed in milk (?) rather than something more cliché like a pool of blood after her opening kill... is so "pop" (think Annie Leibovitz photoshoots) but also has a mysteriously disturbing simplicity. Is the whole movie going to be this visually smart?
- My god this movie looks so beautiful. Let's see... [IMDb check] ZOMG, it's Greig Fraser on DP duty. No wonder. Remember what he did for Bright Star? He's our new favorite. And... oh... Colleen Atwood on costumes? Really? They look amazing but atypically less than alarmingly busy and fussed over (thank god) than what she concocts lately for Tim Burton.
- Did we mention that we love Charlize Theron?
- Did we mention that we love Charlize best when she embraces her inner outer beauty? When she does she's monstrously good.
No & Maybe So AFTER THE JUMP...
NO
- "there is one destined to surpass you"... this might be a suspend-your-disbelief problem with this film and with the competing Snow White picture Mirror Mirror. How the hell are Kristen Stewart and Lily Collins ever going to surpass Charlize Theron and Julia Roberts in the outer beauty and star magnetism department?
- Wait, why is Thor in this movie swinging his hammer ag--- oh okay, that's an axe. But couldn't he have learned new fighting moves since this isn't Thor 2?
- "From the producers of Alice in Wonderland" [shudder]
- Seeing Kirsten Stewart all drowned-rat like in the river reminds us too much of that hateful, "I miss my boyfriend too much to live" terribly messaging in Twilight: New Moon. "I'd rather die than not have a boyfriend" UGH Bella is so tiresome and the world's most atrocious role model for young women!
- Wait why is Snow White in armor like a bad ass fighting bitch? This woman warrior thing is getting so cliché. Is this solely to remind us of Alice in Wonderland? STOP IT.
MAYBE SO
- Love the narration but why does Charlize Theron sound exactly like Cate Blanchett?
- The magic mirror effect is cool but seems a bit CGI for CGI's sake. It isn't content to speak from its home on the wall? But even so, it's still restrained enough to give us hope that this movie will understand the power of wowing through eye popping visuals that you can actually look at because every single thing in the frame is not competing with them. Bless.
- First time director, huh? This looks pretty confident but you can't always know from trailers. Please let Rupert Sanders be a real Prince Charming.
I'm trying to lean Maybe So. It's always best to restrain oneself and thereby more easily find those "wow, what a surprise!" moments in theater. "From the producers of Alice in Wonderland" helps me do that. But then the ending of the trailer is just so beautifully composed, timed, and evvvvvvvvil queen perfect.
Lips red as blood
Hair black as night
Bring me your heart
My dear dear Snow White.
I'm in love, for better or worse; the spell took. You'll find me in either a glass coffin or living happily ever after next summer after this movie has its wicked wicked way with me.
What say ye?
Reader Comments (48)
Since Armie Hammer is the real Prince Charming, Julia Roberts wearing Eiko Ishioka, and the other director being an isane person visual auteur--I'm in shock that based on Charlize Theron alone, this live action version has me more excited for it.
I'll take a bad ass warrior womyn any day, as long as it's done right. I actually hope we get to see some serious kills. Compared to the latter, bad ass fairy tale for me!
The "badass" thing is my main problem with Alice in Wonderland. Not THAT she's a badass, but who they picked to BE the badass. Mia Wasikowska and badass don't go together at all. Now, Burton holding off a year and getting Katie Jarvis...I actually think it might have turned out a little better. So, Lily Collins v. Kristin Stewart. This is basically "hasn't done much" (Priest and the Blind Side being Lily Collins two biggest roles to date) v. "really, really ticked people off with one performance". Though, if they were trying to go the badass route, weren't there better choices? I'd buy Emma Stone in that role before either of these choices. And, tying back to my Alice in Wonderland criticism, I still can't believe Katie Jarvis hasn't gotten any major work post Fish Tank. (Though I am glad to learn that she turned down generic sci-fi thriller #16345 aka Shank.)
And also: Even if Wasikowska could do it, she chose the wrong preparatory film/films. Jan Svankmeyer made what sounds like a horror film where Alice becomes psycho in the end. Tim Burton was trying to make an extravagant comedy of manners with two big action scenes. Her prep was Jan Svankmeyer's Alice. Her prep should have La Regle du jeu and Die Hard.
I'm glad this turned out to be the Charlize Show because Kristen has no charisma. Also, are we supposed to be rooting for the evil queen...I have a feeling it will be too hard not to with this performance.
This movie sounds and looks WAY better that Mirror Mirror. Kristen Stewart is badass!
I just watched Into the Wild and Cake Eaters with Kristen Stewart. She was EXCELLENT in both. I was shocked. I will definitely watch this.
Kristen Stewart looks hot running with the sword. I saw Into the Wild too, one of the best films I've seen. This one looks good, kind of LOTR. I'll see it.
This actually looks pretty interesting...Charlize sold me! She's such a goddess.
But...Kristen Stewart? Like, how is it even remotely believable that her beauty would surpass Charlize's? LOL.
I think the "one to surpass you" is just a reference to badass warrior chick Snow White. It has nothing to do with her appearance as the mirror straight up says no one is fairer than the Queen.
Idk, I guess I interpreted it that way because she said "who is the fairest of them all" and the mirror said "you are. but there is one expected to surpass you" or something along those lines, so I thought it was in reference to the "fairness."
Love the narration but why does Charlize Theron sound exactly like Cate Blanchett?
i heard tilda swinton and got all excited - now there's an evil queen
I'm a yes. I agree about Kristen Stewart but fuggit, I liked her in The Runaways. I'm a yes.
No, because this looks...silly. And not Enchanted silly. Just dumb silly.
Charlize did her prep work for this accent on Arrested Development, right? ;) Anyway, she's adopted an American accent, I can believe this one. She does look awesome as the evil queen. I'm less thrilled about Kristen Stewart. The only role she has impressed me in was where she played Joan Jett (movie name temporarily escapes me). As someone else said, she's not as beautiful as Charlize. Maybe we should play recast this role, huh?
I don't dislike Stewart as much as most people, so she's not a NO for me. And the fighting scenes look a little generic but I was still excited and thrilled with this trailer. I do want to watch this. And yes, it may be only due to Charlize
As much as I love Tarsem Singh, his Snow White looks like a train wreck in the making. Two sets of screenwriters, a lot of unfamiliar names behind the scenes (the cinematographer from Behind Enemy Lines? Seriously?) and the set photos look kitschy, and not in the good Tarsem Singh kind of way. Oh, and one of the dwarfs is named "Chuckles."
Granted, trailers lie, but Charlize Theron looks perfect for this role. Not only does she look stunning, but it looks like she's having fun -- something you can't say about any of her performances since the third season of Arrested Development. Although I'm skeptical about Kristen Stewart post-Twilight, the supporting cast -- Bob Hoskins, Eddie Marsan, Ray Winstone -- is impressive. Then, of course, there's Grieg Fraser (at least Hollywood took notice of his work in Bright Star if not the Academy) and Colleen Atwood. And, judging by his commercials, Rupert Sanders seems to have a good (and clever) eye for visuals, although he may not have the warmth Singh brings to all his films.
I'm actually kind of stoked for this.
Whether Charlize showcases her stunning classic beauty or tones it down for the sake of her characters, she's always amazing. She's a true actress and chameleon. Very special.
The trailer was smart to focus on the Evil Queen because it's a great tease. Keeps Stewart as a mystery and gives us the opportunity to see just how fierce Charlize's evil queen will be. Kristen might draw all the Twilight fans, but I'm going to see Charlize as the Evil Queen! Julia Roberts can take a seat.
Goddamn, not bad at all. If ONLY if it weren't for Kristen Stewart. if only.
This teaser was pretty good , they needed a hook and Charlize was it ! I love her she's always been one of my favorites . Unlike some people I think it's ok to like and enjoy more than one singular actor's work , I have a long list of favorites , from Roberts to blanchett and on and even Stewart . I see her beyond Twilight unlike most jaded people , I will definitely see this movie based on the acting abilities of Stewart , Theron , and Hemsworth , thank god there are no singing " birdies " i doubt that's what Bros Grimm had in mind when wrote that story ! And people lighten up on Stewart she 's better than some think ... I get enough negative crap on those silly gossip blogs .. Great trailer and great graphics !!
I couldn't even read your "No"s. I am in love with this movie until (and hopefully during and after) I see it! What is it with the Theron trailers this year? I love them all (ie both).
In my glass coffin I am waiting...In my glass coffin I am waiting....
Kristin Stewart isn't as bad as people think. It's just that she has one role, based on terrible original material, that's totally taken over her showbiz persona... and her real-life attitude (the one you see on talk shows) is annoying. But she can act okay, given the right roles (again, I'd point to Into the Wild and The Runaways).
As for the needs-a-boyfriend/warrior-woman thing, you can't dismiss both of these, simultaneously, based on two movies that are almost polar opposite portrayals of femininity. Alice was flat and predictable and not terribly well-written; this version of Snow White could redeem the archetype, by showing the character evolve from pouty teenager to Joan of Arc. I'm actually excited to see a movie try to develop a main character around both of those archetypes... they just have to do it so that it feels like depth, rather than a collision of cliches.
Finally, I think this looks good because it looks like a gilded, updated version of Willow's muddy medieval aesthetic. Not the palace scenes, but certainly the forest and war scenes... no ridiculous "300" or "Gladiator" over-exposed crap. I like the restraint and fullness of the production design in this trailer. Looks like it could be a good film.
Charlize FTW.
The reliable source known as Wikipedia tells me that Winona Ryder was considered for this role. LOVE Charlize in this trailer, but that woudl've be fascinating.
Wow, this is the first time a trailer really deeply impressed me. I did not expect this. The trailer looks beautiful (and I agree with Jack, some scenes looked like LOTR). (But I'm at work and could only watch it without sound, only the amazing pictures). Now I am YES.
the best snow white and evil queen are on t.v.right now in 'once upon a time'.
Ginnifer Goodwin is a way better snow white & Lana Parrilla is a fantastic evil queen.
the trailer looks really fun and I can't wait to see the film
the moment I saw the first photos of Theron as the Queen this summer I knew she would make Julia Roberts look like the good old mother from next door.
But then again, we've seen so many beautiful and well made trailers followed by wretched execution.
Nathaniel, don't insult Blanchett please!
Charlize's accent sounds somewhat fake, hope it's just the trailer. Is she trying to sound English or Neutral, not sure, we have to wait and see.
Did anyone notice that Snow White is not saying a single word in that trailer? I'd love to see a Theron dominance, but still, isn't that too weird?
Yavor why are Blanchett fans so touchy. I didn't insult her. I just said that Charlize narration actually sounds like Blanchett's voice. it weirded me out a little.
shiloh ugh i hate that show! sorry.
sam awww. now i feel bad for Noni because she needs a good big role. But i'm happy Charlize is finally getting parts that seem like smart moves for her. so many mopey depressed roles in recent years. I mean she was GREAT in the otherwise mediocre sleepwalking but that plus burning plain plus The Road after Monster... it's just not the right direction.
W.J. agreed about Tarsem's movie. I'm hoping it's just a case of stills not translating they way they might with the right cinematography and movement because some of his work is so visually stunning but that Mirror Mirror movie looks like dangerously cheap overblown cheese. at least thus far.
Unless this gets horrid reviews and bad word of mouth, I'm a definite 'yes' - something I never thought I'd say about a movie with Kstew in it!
But like many of the other posters, it's really Charlize that draws me in. She OWNS this role, and Julia Roberts in the other production is merely going to be what Julia always is - a pretty woman!
Between this and Young Adult, it looks like Charlize has the 'year of the bitch' roles and is likely going to be fabulous in both.
I don't know, generally speaking, I like it when fairy tale adaptations take some liberty with the source material while also keeping the darkness of the original tales, which seems to be the case here. That said, this just might devert too much from the "Snow White" plot for my taste, I just get more of a Elizabeth Báthory vibe from it. Charlize Theron is great though, so I might still give it a chance.
I might be alone in this, but my favourite version still is "Snow White: A Tale of Terror". It's just close enough to the Grimms' version and Sigourney Weaver made such a great evil stepmom.
Is it just me, or is the music in this trailer a variation/remix/cover or whatever on 'Mind Heist?' Also known as, the music from the Inception trailer.
On another note, the film looks like loads of fun. Charlize will kill it!
I have absolutely no patience for: period dramas in the Victorian ages (these normally give moviemakers the excuse to have bad accents, give laggy, over-the-top dialogue and use bleak cinematography throughout), movies about royalty, Kirsten Stewart (she can't act very well I'm so sorry), or revisionist fairy tales. As adorable as Charlize Theron is, this movie is definitely a big fat no for me.
I really don't understand why there are two here-why couldn't we have combined the two films. If I was casting the film, it would be Lily Collins as Snow White, Charlize as the Evil Queen, Armie Hammer as Prince Charming and Chris Hemsworth as my boyfriend.
It weirds me out that there are no shots of the dwarves in this trailer, which makes me think those effects probably aren't done. Since they cast so many kind of funny actors to play the dwarf roles, I'm wondering if there will be a more comic sensibility in parts of this movie that thr trailer doesn't convey.
You're forgetting the best Yes of them all Nathaniel. Kristen Stewart doesn't say a damn word!
That is a really well-done trailer. Charlize looks STUNNING and I always thought she was a great choice for the Evil Queen (although that bit about Winona Ryder is fascinating - that would have made for a likely much more interesting film, what with her basically being Kristen Stewart's forebear). But what is with this recent fascination with "revisionist" fairy tales told from the point of view from the "villain" who is now made to be (at least somewhat) sympathetic? I know there haven't really been that many, but I'm already tired of it. I'm not really sure why.
John T -- your punchline. lol
Joey -- i didn't even notice that until Yavor said as much. i wsa too wrapped up in the Charlize-a-thon.
Are we really supposed to believe that Kristen Stewart has the ability to surpass Charlize Theron in anything? Good thing the Queen has always been the most intriguing aspect of story. Theron seems to be selling the hell out of the role.
I dont like Stewart, AT ALL. I think she is not even beautiful or interesting.
On the other hand, Charliz... Oh my ! She is amazing. She HAS to win another Oscar, not for this but in the future. What about a best body award ? LOL
Yay, I'm glad Nathaniel is showing love for Charlize Theron. The woman is a goddess! What's not to like? I also like that it looks like she's actually having fun in her newer roles. That's the biggest difference. She also finally got a major agent a few years ago. I actually think the best is yet to come for her. Can't wait to see Young Adult and see her kill the role of the Evil Queen.
Sorry Winona Ryder fans, but I don't think she would be good in this role as the Evil Queen. She's too pixie-ish and has a weak voice. Theron has more authority.
I don't see what's the big deal about Theron's performance, at least not from this trailer. It looks like to me, a prettier version of Tilda Swinton's White Witch in "The Chronicles of Narnia".
Comedic villains in fantasy films are always more fun to watch (like La Pfeiffer in "Batman" & "Stardust" ) and also have more fun in award season (like Al Pacino in "Dick Tracy" & Glenn Close in "101 Dalmatians" ) so my money is on Roberts.
So according to this site, Eyes Wide Shut looks like cheap ass pay cable and Snow White and the Huntsman is aesthetically superior. Interesting.
So, the one time I make it into the Comment(s) Du Jour, I manage to make up a word along the way. ....devert... I kind of like it though. ;)
May I be rude enough to point out that Alice in Wonderland isn't a "fairytale" in the traditional sense of a folk tale handed down through the ages?
I'm a yes so far. Some of the CGI looks a bit much but then I'm fairly CGI adverse. (But then those crows - wow.) Charlize is really selling the performance - I cannot see Winona in this at all. Although the idea that Kstew could surpass Charlize - in beauty or in anything else - is a bit hard to swallow. I think I would see this just for what Charlize is doing here.
It is odd that Snow White doesn't say a word here. On the other hand, the only thing I've seen Stewart in is the Runaways and enjoyed it; she's not a brilliant or great actress by any means, but my favorite scene in that film is the one where she is fed up and screaming at Michael Shannon in the recording studio while he taunts her from the other side of the glass. That was balls-to-the-wall and my favorite part.
Nat, there were no "warrier women" in movies when I was growing up or very few; Princess Leia was about as close as it came at first until Cameron's movies, actually. I don't care for it as a gimmick (as it was in the Kevin Costner version of Robin Hood) to lend a pseudo-feminist or pseudo-modern touch, but I appreciate it when it's done well and more than just a gimmick. So I'm interested, at the very least.
Elle -- no no. Eyes Wide Shut LOOKS amazing. I just meant that that the sexual fantasies flash cuts look like cheap ass pay cable. ... the cinematography in EWS is very beautiful.
I'm so excited for this movie, I think the thing shes bathing in is wax...just a guess though.
Charlize looks simply regal! Julia Roberts, well........ Tinkerbell in a dress.
Hi there,
I have just seen the trailer for Mirror, Mirror. Good lord, it looks awful! Like Alice-in-Wonderland-is-a-masterpiece-compared-to-this awful!
SWATH is a hell yes! for me. I guess it would be nice to use KStew's popularity for creating a decent role model for the teenage girls out there. Some sort of atonement for the Twilight. Oh and Ms Theron looks deliciously evil!
Love and peace from İstanbul.