Directed by:
Cedric Nicolas-TroyanCinematography:
Phedon PapamichaelComposer:
James Newton HowardCast:
Chris Hemsworth, Jessica Chastain, Emily Blunt, Charlize Theron, Nick Frost, Sheridan Smith, Rob Brydon, Alexandra Roach, Sam Claflin, Colin Morgan (more)VOD (4)
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Charlize Theron stars as evil Queen Ravenna, who betrays her good sister Freya (Emily Blunt) with an unforgiveable act, freezing Freya’s heart to love and unleashing in her an icy power she never knew she possessed. As war escalates between the two queens, Eric the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth), and his fellow warrior, Sara (Jessica Chastain), must help Freya vanquish her sister... or Ravenna’s wickedness will rule for eternity. (Universal Pictures UK)
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Reviews (9)
Basically the same fantasy average that wants to be above average, just like last time. Even having Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain and Charlize Theron in one film does not mean that it will be a good film. Not that I was offended by The Huntsman, but somehow I was still waiting for something really big to happen... And then came the end of the story. I was really pleased with the way in which the filmmakers (did not) bring the character of Snow White to the film, because this confirmed that Jára Cimrman and his Hamlet without Hamlet was once again ahead of its time.
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The castle scenes in Winter’s War were copied and pasted from the first instalment and the scenes in the woods looked like they were taken from a cheap TV fairytale. There are no other scenes and as a whole it suffers from a hopelessly contrived script and either half-baked or simply failed direction. The poor quality of Winter’s War is in stark contrast to the A-list cast.
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I was puzzled when the sequel was announced because it wasn't immediately clear what the continuation would entail. After watching it, it's quite apparent that it was a marketing move. The first installment was captivating, and similar films are trending now, so they churn out a quickie with interesting actors and an uninteresting script, and it will target a wide audience. This is boring.
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I liked Hunter sequel similarly to the first one. The pacing is perfect, the action is stylish, the visuals are solid and the cast is very very good, featuring Jessica Chastain, Chris Hemsworth, Emily Blunt and Charlize Theron, a great quartet and quite possibly the strongest female line-up in a long time. Story-wise the film could have been more polished, it doesn't offer a proper twist, but again I didn't find it purposefully naive like Gods of Egypt or similar fantasy stuff. I had a good time. 75%
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As I wasn’t very engaged by what The Huntsman: Winter’s War had to offer, I found myself in the cinema wondering who this borderline campy hybrid of Frozen and Game of Thrones was actually made for. For younger viewers, The Huntsman does not offer any age-appropriate characters that they can identify with; for older ones, there’s a lot of adolescent dwarf humour and few multi-dimensional characters whose decisions are motivated by anything other than the demands of the genre (approximately none). Like the previous instalment, to which The Huntsman is both a prequel and a sequel (as well as a spin-off), the film tries to appeal mainly to female viewers. It tries to convince us of its feminist essence not only through the numerical superiority of female characters, but also through at least one forced declaration of female independence. However, actions do not always correspond to words and the women’s independence is mostly illusory. It is natural to form a couple. Women without a partner are at the very least emotionally unstable and one of them compensates for the impossibility of self-realisation through raising a child by raising her own personal army of Hitler Youth, with whose assistance she then proceeds to conquer the surrounding kingdoms (because she can). Just as the plot is a patchwork of clichés from adventure and fantasy movies, the stereotypes of vain, unreadable and bitter people with no sense of humour are recycled in the portrayal of the female characters (especially in contrast to Erik and the two dwarves, who ceaselessly joke around). Not even the concept of the Nietzschean superwoman who ruthlessly eliminates every man who crosses her path is applied here with the same consistency as last time (or as in practically any given pre-Code film with Barbara Stanwyck). It is not surprising that the film’s director, as a visual-effects specialist, is as fascinated with the superficial as the self-centred Ravenna is. I am surprised, however, that the effects are often not very good (in particular, the large kingdom units look like something from an above-average video game). In general, Winter’s War comes across as a derivative of a successful film made out of obligation and without much dedication; Colleen Atwood’s spectacular costumes (of which we are made thoroughly aware through various overhead shots and close-ups) are truly convincing. If Snow White had shown up, Winter’s War, which at best works as a bad comedy, might have been able to better justify its existence. 50%
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