Review: The Huntsman: Winter's War

One could well argue that The Huntsman: Winter's War is more entertaining than its predecessor, Snow White and the Huntsman. It thrives in pleasantries where the first film sated itself on grime and grittiness. Yet Snow White and the Huntsman was a far more substantial reworking of the fairy tale, exploring how the obsession with the power of youth and beauty can warp and wither the soul. Snow White herself was the least interesting character - and not necessarily because Kristen Stewart's characteristically saturnine nature jarred. Charlize Theron's maleficent Queen Ravenna was a masterwork in how camp could blend with actual characterisation.

Theron dominated Snow White and the Hunstman, but coming a close second was Chris Hemsworth as the Hunstman himself. At the time, Hemsworth was becoming famed as Thor and his role as the huntsman Eric signaled that there was something more to him than simply brawn. It's only fitting that The Huntsman: Winter's War, which serves as both prequel and sequel, should sharpen its focus on its two best assets. The story, or stories, being told here, however, feel simultaneously second-rate, derivative, incomplete, insubstantial, and instantly forgettable. If the film works, and it often does despite its flaws, it's due to its actors and most especially a British firecracker named Sheridan Smith.

"There is another story, one that comes before happily ever after," an unnecessarily employed narrator drones at the start. Viewers are reintroduced to the scheming Ravenna as she kills the latest monarch foolish enough to fall sway to her beauty and cunning. Her younger sister Freya (Emily Blunt) is far more kindhearted in comparison; she dreams of a life with a young Duke (Colin Morgan), whose child she carries. Tragedy befalls Freya, causing her icy magical powers to emerge. Consumed by grief, she retreats to her own frozen kingdom where she trains kidnapped children to become ruthless soldiers. "Do not love," she orders them. Love is a lie, love does not conquer all. Isn't she living proof of that?

Naturally, two of those children transgress when they reach adulthood. Eric and Sara (Jessica Chastain) profess their love for one another but are cruelly thwarted from having a life together by Freya, whose wall of enchanted ice separates the lovers. Eric witnesses Sara's death - thus his identification of himself as a widower in the first film - and is shocked to see her alive and well seven years later whilst he is on a quest to find Ravenna's destructive golden mirror before Freya can get her frosty hands upon it.

Screenwriters Evan Spiliotopoulos and Craig Mazin can't quite balance their two competing narratives. Eric and Sara's tale proves the weaker of the two as, despite their best efforts and solid individual performances, Hemsworth and Chastain simply do not spark as a couple. The mission to track down the mirror is near ponderous until lady-dwarf Mrs. Bromwyn (Smith) appears, who makes no secret of her yearning to jump Eric's bones when not trading barbs with Gryff (Rob Brydon), the half-brother of Nion (Nick Frost), who was one of the dwarves who assisted Snow White in the earlier film. Smith is one of the leading lights of British television, and her powerhouse presence enlivens the proceedings.

Freya and Ravenna's sibling rivalry should have taken center stage. It's a far more absorbing relationship than the one between Eric and Sara, and continues the franchise's depiction of complex female dynamics. Blunt and Theron bring touches of nuance to their roles, and there is a thrill to be had when Elsa, sorry, Freya - stands up to her overpowering older sister. Blunt and Theron are also garbed in Colleen Atwood's intricately detailed creations; Freya's gowns make sounds like cracking ice whilst Ravenna's are frequently a symphony of spiderwebbed designs and armoured feathers. The costumes are beautifully complemented by Luca Vannella's makeup and hair designs; Theron's gold-flecked and ornately braided appearance in the CGI-laden finale is particularly stunning.

The Huntsman: Winter's War

Directed by: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan

Written by: Evan Spiliotopoulos and Craig Mazin; based on characters created by Evan Daugherty

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, Sam Claflin, Nick Frost, Rob Brydon, Sheridan Smith, Alexandra Roach, Sope Disiru, Colin Morgan