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MacPhie
MacPhie's stats
- Review count1
- Helpfulness votes1
- First reviewJune 3, 2012
- Last reviewJune 3, 2012
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4
MacPhie's Reviews
Overall rating
4
/
5
Re-Imagined Fairy Tale for Adults
PostedJune 3, 2012
MacPhie
from Chicago, IL, USA
Age:55 to 64
Gender:Male
Goes to the movies:monthly
Dialogue
3
/
5
Special Effects
5
/
5
Art Direction
5
/
5
Acting
4
/
5
Story
5
/
5
Camerawork
5
/
5
This film is visually stunning w/ great special effects that bring out the ghost-demonic dimensions of the story most of us first heard as 'Snow White & the 7 Dwarves.' Charlize Theron deserves an Oscar nomination for her role as the vampiric evil Queen who is sucking the life out of a medieval kingdom. Her character transformations use her skills as an accomplished actress. Kristen Stewart's 'Snow White' is a fusion of 'Mother Mary Queen of Heaven' (she prays the Lord's Prayer during her imprisonment) & Joan of Arc. Mary (Snow White) as 'Co-Redemptrix of creation' symbolism is powerful, esp. at the end. R. Catholic, Orthodox, & Muslim viewers will appreciate this use of religious symbolism in mainstream media. But the film has a very 'WHITE' (Euro-American; Scotch-Irish; Gaelic) story-world of characters: only one actor of color shows up, he's on the side of evil, & is killed in combat. Given the setting in the Middle Ages (about the time of the Crusades), I was looking for greater diversity in the people groups represented. Some fighting Turks, Kurds, or Arab-world characters on the side of good would have added a dimension of complexity to the story, as Kevin Costner did in his film version of 'Robin Hood' with Morgan Freemans's character, the Muslim physician. One historical note: when Snow White's father King Magnus / Magus weds the evil Princess he liberates from an army of magical illusionary forces, we hear pipe organ music at the wedding. Pipe organs as we know them did not exist in the early or middle Medieval times. A monastic or cathedral choir would be have been in touch with the times depicted in the story - world. The film had an expert on mythology who was consulted, a Dr. Bill Gray (sp?) but he must have overlooked this. Finally, Kristen Stewart's physical image and facial poses are striking as usual, but can she act out a more complicated range of emotions? I would have cast an actress from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand, Australia, or Nova Scotia in Snow White's role, e.g., Sarah McLachlan if she were more of an actress. You may get the idea. Kristen Stewart still comes across on the screen as an American young woman playing a mythic-medieval role. Charlize Theron can pull this off as an actress, but Kristen Stewart still needs some time to emerge into these major roles she's been given by her producers / directors. Final SUM: This film is worth seeing twice, esp. for the actors who play the heroic dwarves.
Pros well paced, great story, great actors, visual effects, religious symbolism
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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