Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Considering how long the story of Snow White has been around, it seems surprising that it was the source of two movies this year. There was Mirror Mirror that was released in March and now we have Snow White and the Huntsman, which is now playing in Lacombe at Lacombe City Cinemas.

Of the two movies, Snow White and the Huntsman is by far the superior film and well worth a look.

Once the evil queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) had killed the king and put Snow White (Kristen Stewart) in the dungeon, Ravenna was happy until her magic mirror informed her that now that Snow White had turned 18, she was the fairest of them all.

Enraged by this news Ravenna hires a Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to kill Snow White and bring her heart to Ravenna. Unfortunately for the queen, the Huntsman falls for Snow White and he becomes her protector. The Huntsman, seven dwarves and young Prince William (Sam Claflin) come to Snow White's aid in her attempt to overthrow Queen Ravenna.

Needless to say, the plot in this film is familiar, however, there are some interesting twists in this newest adaptation. This is an aggressive, armour wearing Snow White and the dwarves kick some big people butt. First time director, Rupert Sanders, brings some intriguing special effects to this story such as a remarkable troll, the glass soldiers that serve Queen Ravenna and making wonderful actors like Bob Hoskins and Ian McShane look like dwarves.

What really adds to the success of this movie is the performance of the main characters. The best performance goes to Theron who is outstanding as the evil Queen. It was hard not to think of Thor when you see Hemsworth running about with a battle axe, but Hemsworth provided the Huntsman character with the physical presence it requires.

Until next time, I will see you at the cinema.