Contemporary Conceptions:

Mirror,Mirror vs. Snow White and the Huntsman

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the classic Disney tale of a fair maiden with skin as white as snow, hair as black as night, and lips as red as blood. Under the jealous queen’s orders, she is to be killed by a huntsman for being declared the “fairest maiden of them all” by a talking mirror. As the huntsmen is in the process of taking out Snow White for good, he realizes that he cannot kill such a beautiful girl and instead exiles her to the forest so that she would not be killed by the queen herself. While she is roaming the forest, she stumbles upon a house and befriends seven little men. The story goes on to Snow White eating the poison apple, dying, the evil queen being slain, and then Snow White miraculously coming back to life with the power of true loves kiss and reigning over the kingdom with the prince by her side. You know the whole sha-bang, good guy wins and bad guy loses; Disney fairytale cliche. Coming into the 2012 movie season, both Universal Pictures and Citizen Snow Film Productions have released movie trailers of their own renditions of this classic disney princess tale.

Mirror, Mirror <Click me! 

  

Story continues below advertisement

In this remake, Citizen Snow Films have taken the famous tale of Snow White and given it a funny twist, with a little bit of girl power thrown in. Snow White, played by Lilly Collins (Abduction, The Blind Side), is exiled to the dark forrest by the Evil Queen, played by Julia Roberts (Eat, Pray, Love and Pretty Woman), who has seized power over the kingdom. In a humor filed adventure, Snow White enlists the help of seven bandits to win back the throne that is rightfully hers and, along the way, the heart of Prince Andrew Alcott, played by Armie Hammer ( The Social Network, J.Edgar). Seems good enough, but does it do any justice to the original?

The movie has all the same elements; banished to the dark forest, meeting seven little men, the poison apple, and in the end winning the heart of the prince (because we ALL know that will happen even without seeing the movie). However, my current disdain with Lily Collins (no, it is not because she is Taylor Lautner’s ex… mostly) keeps me from taking it too seriously. Personally, I find her acting to be mediocre and in need of some work (but hey who am I but a regular teenage girl?). To me, she is just another celebrity who gained her fame from her father, Phil Collins’ (Tarzan musical score and Musician) musical influence on Hollywood. No talent, just connections. Regardless of my feelings towards the actress, the movie itself seems like Hollywood’s sorry attempt at bringing in the big bucks rather than entertaining its loyal audiences with a movie that is worth the $10 trip to the theater. Seriously, how many times am I going to see trailers for remakes of older films? Seems like the only thing they’re giving me is something to talk about (more like complain, but who’s complaining? Although I do agree that I have enjoyed some of these remakes, Alice in Wonderland, Bad News Bears, The Longest Yard, and The Karate Kid) I just can’t seem to wrap my head around this idea. In my opinion, if it wasn’t broken then why fix it?

So will I watch it and do I recommend it to you? 

I can’t really decide whether you should see it or not because I haven’t actually seen the movie, t

hat choice is up to you. If you like Lilly Collins, a die hard Julia Roberts fan, or just like how Armie Hammer looks (trust me I do) then I don’t see the harm in going. Although I advise you to go during matinee so that if it doesn’t satisfy you, you only wasted about six bucks instead of ten. However, for me, I will more than likely just wait til it comes out in the Red Box at H-E-B, but I am sure one of my ‘great’ friends will probably somehow pressure me into seeing it on March 16 at Northwoods.

Snow White and the Huntsman <Click Me!

Unlike its remake counterpart, Snow White and the Huntsman brings a more dark and serious tone to the beloved childrens tale so many have grown up with.

In this rendition, Queen Ravenna, played by Charlize Theron (Young Adult, Hancock), stays alive by consuming the souls of the women in the kingdom she reigns over. In an attempt to stay young and beautiful, the queen goes to the mirror and asks who is the fairest of them all. The mirror informs her that one soul will keep her young and beautiful, Snow White, played by our very own Twilight star, Kristen Stewart. The Queen finds a man who is not scared of the dark forest to hunt down and bring Snow White to her. In a twist, the Hunstman, played by Chis Hemsworth (Thor, Startrek) is unable to kill her due to her beauty and ends up becoming her mentor in order to take out the evil Queen.

Seems good enough, but how does it compare to the original?

I have to admit that compared to the original, it too has all the same elements. Bad queen, dashing prince played by Sam Claflin (White Heat, Pirates of the Carribean: Strangers Tide), the poison apple, and the huntsman. However, in regards to the demise of the queen, unlike the previous (Mirror, Mirror) I can’t tell whether the queen will die or if Snow White will win, and I think that is what makes this remake better than the other. It is so dark and twisted that you don’t know how it is going to end. I mean, it is possible for it to be like any other cliche where the hero wins and the villian loses, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this movie leaves us with either a major cliff hanger or Queen Ravenna coming out victorious. However, I still stand by my previous opinion: If it wasn’t broken then why fix it.

I mostly dislike this movie because of the main actress, Kristen Stewart. I just don’t like her, from when she was in Catch that Kid to her playing Bella in Twilight. Not only is she extremely awkward when she acts, but her expressions are all the same: indifferent and emotionless. Even when she is excited, she looks like she doesn’t give a care.

Though I may want to go see this, I still feel the same as before. Hollywood is just pushing classical renditions of fairy tales down our throats in an attempt to keep the dreams of Hollywood alive and the money bags a-flow. With this arises a new question is Hollywood out of ideas for motion pictures and TV shows? Interesting proposition, but that discussion will have to wait for another day.

So will I watch it and do I recommend it to you?

Again, it is all up to YOU! If you like 2009’s Alice in Wonderland, Chris Hemsworth (ME!), or are a Twi-hard who is in love with Kristen Stewart (no one) then I don’t see the harm in paying some cha-ching at the movie theater this summer. As for me, I won’t be there on premiere night, but I will make an attempt to drive out to Northwoods to see how this one ends. That, or again, just wait until it comes out at the Red Box at H-E-B.

So Brahmas, which would you see?

Mirror, Mirror or Snow White and the Huntsman?