Snow White (USA / G / 109 mins)
In short: Whistle while it works…
Directed by Marc Webb. Starring Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, Andrew Burnap, Andrew Barth Feldman, Tituss Burgess.
The Plot: Snow White (Rachel Zegler) grew up in a happy environment… until her mother died and was replaced by the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot). Her father disappeared not long after, leaving the Evil Queen in control of it all and ruling the land with an iron grip. When an attempt is made on Snow White’s life, she flees into the forest and is discovered by seven dwarves. Hesitant about her at first, it’s only the youthful Dopey (Andrew Barth Feldman) who sees no threat in her. She also draws the attention of hungry thief Jonathan (Andrew Burnap). The Evil Queen must be dealt with if peace is to be restored to the land…
The Verdict: Magic mirror on the wall… which is the most controversial Snow White of them all? Long before it has even been released an online army have already directed pointy daggers at this new take on their original classic 1937 animation. Such is the way of the modern world – cinematic judging by social media. If actors aren’t losing out on roles with casting directors because they haven’t got enough Instagram followers, they’re being castigated for their opinions. Time to turn down the volume on the white noise, cool down the heat and just focus on the film itself.
‘Snow White’ 2025 is Disney once again diving into their back catalogue to see what they can turn from animation into live action. It has worked very well for many of their other adaptations e.g. Beauty And The Beast. So, the crown jewel – the one that old Walt started it all with – is now walking, talking and singing its way in live action form. This being the 21st Century of course, some spring cleaning has been done on the script, sprucing it up for a more modern audience accustomed to princesses moving with the times. There’s also something of a makeover in terms of plot motivations which both strengthen and weaken the film at times. This is a princess whose primary motivation is not falling in love and being rescued by you-know-who, but uniting the people to fight back against Evil Queen – so evil that she doesn’t have any other name. The Union Of Evil Queens everywhere in the Disney-Verse must be up in arms about that.
Erin Cressida Wilson’s script sets up the story as a battle of female wills. The sweet, good-natured but determined Snow White versus the vain, imperious Evil Queen who thinks nothing of ordering the Huntsman (Tituss Burgess) to carve out Snow White’s dear heart and place it in a chest like a trophy win. One can also sense the guiding hand of one Greta Gerwig in the script to polish off the characters a bit more. For the most part, the characterisation works. Snow White is just the right side of independent enough. Rachel Zegler – who only watched the original once and was too scared to watch it again – is good in the lead role but needed a bit more spark and humour. She can hit a tune spot-on though – ‘Princess Problems’ is particularly amusing and oh-so-contemporary. The MVP of the film though is Gal Gadot, relishing every moment of her villainy with a deliciously dark performance that hasn’t got a trace of sympathy. No wonder actors find playing the bad girl / guy more interesting and fun.
Marc Webb, he of the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man films, isn’t as sure-footed when it comes to directing the seven dwarves. Entirely computer-generated, they come across as, ahem, Dopey in nature and leaving a Grumpy reaction. They’re the most cartoonish element of a film that seems to want to distance itself from the cartoon, which is a bit of a contradiction in terms. The aforementioned plot motivations – the idea that many can rise up against one if they realise that power is within their grasp – is an interesting one to play with, but it also relies heavily on sentiment to make it work. So, Snow White 2025 is a decent, well-crafted Disney movie that whistles while it works and deserves its day in the sun.
Rating: 3 / 5
Review by Gareth O’Connor
In short: Whistle while it works...
Directed by Marc Webb. Starring Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, Andrew Burnap, Andrew Barth Feldman, Tituss Burgess