THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER’S WAR film review

– By Cate Marquis –

Good cast cannot save prequel/sequel “The Huntsman: Winter’s War”

“The Huntsman: Winter’s War” is a part prequel, part sequel to 2012’s “Snow White and the Huntsman.” Like the first fairy tale-themed fantasy/action/adventure movie, this prequel/sequel sports flashy visual effects and lavish costumes, but this one also features a more star-filled cast. Still, none of that rescues it from a rambling, unfocused plot.

The original was not a big hit but it featured flashy visual-effects and a strong performance by Charlize Theron as evil queen Ravenna (along with one of Kristen Stewart’s worst as Snow White). The visual effects and Theron are back but Snow White is mostly absent (and Kristen Stewart entirely so). We do get not one, but two, evil queens, Theron as Ravenna and Emily Blunt as her younger sister Ice Queen Freya. Mostly, this is a vehicle for hunky Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”) as the Huntsman, whose love interest now is played by Jessica Chastain in a warrior babe role.

The cobbled-together script by Evan Spiliotopoulos and Craig Mazin borrows elements from fairy tales and a number of films, including “Lord of the Rings” but especially Disney’s “Frozen.” The film, which had a rather tortured path to the screen, is directed by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, the visual effects supervisor on the first one, in his directorial debut. Nicolas-Troyan was brought in to replace writer-director Frank Darabont, who was picked to replace Rupert Sanders, but later dropped out of the project.

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