Ed's Review Dot Com

Roth Films, Universal Pictures,

Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Ray Winstone, Nick Frost, Toby Jones

The king is fighting to save his kingdom and enjoying his beautiful wife and his even more beautiful daughter Snow White. But when the queen suddenly dies, the King is inconsolable. Meanwhile a mysterious band attacks the castle and though they are defeated, it brings a mysterious princess Ravenna (Charlize Theron) to the castle who instantly bewitches the King with her beauty, but she promptly kills him and steals the throne. She then locks up Snow White (Kristen Stewart) in a tower cell, and the kingdom turns dark and ugly. Ravenna takes the throne and along with her brother rules with terror throughout the land. Ravenna has ageless beauty due to a spell, but in order to obtain eternal life, she must kill Snow White and steal her heart. Snow White has escaped, and with the help of the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth), who was supposed to capture her and bring her to the queen, but instead teaches her to fight, a group of dwarves and some other friends, Snow makes it through the dark wood to her Uncle’s Castle to lead the fight for her rightful place.

This is based on the original Snow White story. It’s been called “dark” and I guess that is a fair assessment. This is certainly not Disney’s version of the story. It is PG-13 because there is some fairly scary stuff, and so it’s not good for very small children. It might scare the daylights out of them! But this is a throwback to adventures of old. There are so many great things about this version of the tale, and not much at all bad. Though it’s very long, it seems like some areas are not well enough developed and you’ll probably want more. But there are long periods of no dialog, but the views on the screen tell more than pages of script could. The views and the music tell a lot of the story. Yes, special effects are wonderful here, but the creepy dark wood, and the beautiful land of the fairies are both excellent in their own way. All in all this is a wonderful film, just right for the big screen and spectacular sound systems.

I highly recommend this for anyone mid-teens and up. This is a great throwback to the adventures of old, with wonderful rich special effects that add to the story, but help, not hinder the adventure. This is an awesome screenplay, and I hope this does very well as this film really deserves it. If you want awesome battles, spooky locations, danger, and excitement, go out an watch this film. I really loved it.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, LBI Entertainment, Vinyl Films,

Cameron Crowe, Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Patrick Fugit, Colin Ford, Elle Fanning, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, John Michael Higgins, Angus Macfadyen, Peter Riegert, Stephanie Szostak, J.B. Smoove

Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) is a recent widower raising two children, Dylan (Colin Ford) and Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones). They are suffering in the city, and everything reminds Benjamin of his wife. Dylan keeps getting in trouble, and Benjamin thinks a life in the country would do them much better. He finds the perfect house, but there is a problem. The property also includes a zoo that is being run very poorly by the government trying to keep the animals alive. Zookeeper Kelly Foster (Scarlett Johansson) is trying her best, but it’s a serious situation. Benjamin decides to purchase the property and attempt to save the zoo and open it to the public again, but they face multiple problems like broken down enclosures, higher than expected expenses, and a gruff inspector who is going to hold their feet to the fire for every infraction. This is a true story, and a heartwarming family film.

I really enjoyed this story on many levels. It is very, very well acted, and the people in each role is extremely competent and able to bring a lot to an ensemble cast. Tomas Haden Church as Duncan Mee, Benjamin’s brother is convinced his brother is nuts, but he brings a lot to the story as well. There is a bit of simple tension in the story as to whether they can survive or not, and some tough problems to solve, but the kids are good actors as well and bring alive their side of the story too. The family dynamic is very good, and it’s a heartwarming family story. This is the strength of the movie, but the animal stories are also touching, as is the business side of trying to rescue a worn out depressing old zoo. All in all, this film fires on all cylinders and is a great family film for kids and grown ups alike. It was perfect for release as a holiday film, and I highly recommend it for anyone who would care for a touching and heartwarming family film. It’s very well done.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog