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Wednesday, 13 April 2016

THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER'S WAR REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
In Snow White and the Huntsman, we see Snow White, with the help of the huntsman, defeat the Evil Queen, Ravenna (Charlize Theron). In this prequel/sequel, we see the story of the Huntsman himself, Eric (Chris Hemsworth). In the first film, we know that he is a widower but we are unaware of how his wife died. In the beginning of this film, we learn that Ravenna has a sister, Freya (Emily Blunt), who, after her lover kills their child, declares love a 'sin' and raises an army by training young children to become soldiers. This is where Eric meets Sara (Jessica Chastain), who is also being trained in Freya's army. Despite the rules that being in love is forbidden, the two can't hide their feelings for much longer and marry in secret. They try to escape but, after fighting Freya's army, Sara unfortunately dies. This leads to the events of the first film.
The majority of this film is set seven years after Snow White has defeated the Evil Queen. Snow White's husband, William (Sam Claflin), meets with the Huntsman and orders him to find the Magic Mirror as it posses evil powers. Along with two dwarves, Nion (Nick Frost) and his half-brother, Gryff (Rob Brydon), the Huntsman goes on his quest to find and destroy the Mirror once and for all. Suddenly, after being attacked by several other huntsmen, Eric is rescued by a mysterious person that turns out to be his wife. The two are shocked to see each other but they soon learn that Freya used her powers to show them two different visions: Eric saw Sara die and she saw him leaving her. The four then embark on the quest to find the Mirror before Freya does.
I would say that this is an improvement on the first film. The main female protagonist is Sara and she's, in my opinion, more likable than Kristen Stewart's Snow White. She's feisty and has great fighting skills. For those hoping to see a lot of Charlize Theron's Evil Queen Ravenna, you'll be disappointed. We see her in the beginning of the film and then, later on, in the final battle. The part of the Evil Queen goes to Emily Blunt, whose Ice Queen is cold and conniving. Sam Clafin returns in a pointless cameo as William, he's in the film for five minutes and is only there to tell the Huntsman about the Magic Mirror. Only one dwarf returns from the first film and that's Nick Frost's Nion. He and Rob Brydon's Gryff are simply there for comic relief, which isn't a bad thing. I found their one liners quite funny.
Arguably, the second half is better than the first. The final battle sequence between the Huntsman, Sara, Freya and Ravenna is thrilling. It's in this sequence that we learn the truth behind Freya's daughter's death and we feel sympathy for her and even more hatred for Ravenna.
Overall, Winter's War is a great follow up to Snow White And The Huntsman.
7/10
Read my review of 'Snow White and the Huntsman' here.

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