NOTE: If you’re wondering why there’s no review of The Jungle Book, it’s not because I didn’t see it. It’s because it’s a good movie that ultimately has no thematic ideals that are worth discussing. It’s a great looking and inspired piece of work, but there’s not much to actually talk about. The Huntsman: Winters War steals verbatim from numerous sources like Frozen and The Lord of the Rings, but at the very least, it steals from sources that are interesting and good. That stuff is still just as good too, even though it lacks the thematic depth (this is a Huntsman movie after all). But, the middle act is mainly focused on exactly what could make those movies worth your time in the first place. The Huntsman: Winters War is not really all that special, but at least its sources were. The first 20 minutes of Huntsman is expositional tripe. As the well composed scenes play out, the deep voice of a narrator blows in and robs the scenes of any of their intended weight (not that any of this actually has any weight). It’s just over the top fantasy schlock that kind of works when the film levels the heck out and just coasts on being funny, but the beginning of the film is almost excruciating. You have some charismatic actors (Chris Hemsworth), and some downright great actors (Jessica Chastain), but instead you’re going to have a guy explain the story? When the film finally does let all these actors do their thing, the film actually gets pretty fun. Sure, it’s just recycled stuff (no really there are sets and dialogue so close to Lord of the Rings that Universal should be lawyering up), but it’s good recycled stuff, as the corny nature of the characters pretty easily comes out and makes the film really hilarious to watch. It also takes some time to make some interesting (and subtly racist) creature design for some goblins that proves for a pretty fun action sequence. Nick Frost, Sheridan Smith, and Rob Brydon show up as dwarves, and keep the film rolling through sheer wit. The middle of this film doesn’t feel cheap, and if the film didn’t fall into campy disposability by the end this movie, it could have been a solid 7. But, soon a finale does have to happen, and Charlize Theron has to show up. Theron is awkwardly pushed into this film, and watching her act against Emily Blunt is akin to magnets trying to come together, but are inevitably pushed apart. The only purpose for Theron to be here is for franchise building. And, the purpose of that franchise isn’t even there anymore. This is a sequel (despite what the marketing tells you) to Snow White and the Huntsman, but the main character of this universe, Snow White, is almost nowhere to be seen. The purpose for this film’s existence is non-existent, unfortunately, and with nothing thematically to hold onto, the inevitable fade into obscurity will come. The Huntsman: Winters War is a briefly entertaining piece of fantasy action that ultimately fails because it lacks sense of purpose and feels forced. It’s worth a late night viewing, but nothing too expensive. I give The Huntsman: Winters War a 5.5 out of 10
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December 2017
CategoriesAuthorHello welcome to FilmAnalyst. My name is Stephen Tronicek, and I really like movies. This is a way to get my opinions out to people. Thank you for visiting. |