Category Archives: Fantasy

My first thought, upon hearing of this movie, was “Kristen Stewart as the ‘fairest of them all’? You’ve got to be kidding me.” But a series of remarkably intriguing trailers – sporting some spectacular effects and action – were enough to convince me that it might be worth seeing. Besides, I’m a sucker for huge swords-and-horses epics…particularly when a few scary-looking beasties get thrown in.

The verdict? Mixed.

The plot of “Snow White and the Huntsman” isn’t exactly obscure: evil queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) wants to kill beautiful princess Snow White (Kristen Stewart) to obtain eternal youth. Snow promptly flees to the Dark Forest, where she meets the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) and a band of surly dwarves. Large-scale battles result.

So what sets “Snow White and the Huntsman” apart? The answer is surprisingly multifaceted.

For starters, this is a gorgeous film. I don’t mean that in the “Avatar” or “Avengers” sense – if all its digital effects were set aside, “Snow White and the Huntsman” would remain a beautifully rendered cinematic vision. Everything – from shot composition to art design – is spellbinding. I found myself frequently thinking that any still image from this movie could be enlarged and framed like a painting…it’s that good. With the addition of some appropriate, unobtrusive computer graphics, it becomes simply exquisite.

I didn’t expect there to be any heavy worldview elements in this movie. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to discover some interesting undercurrents. Most notably, Snow’s quest is cast in far more messianic terms than in the source material.

At the beginning of the film, Snow recites the Lord’s Prayer in its entirety – a very surprising touch. Not only is this highly anachronistic (since when do fantasy worlds refer explicitly to the real-world Bible?) it doesn’t seem to “fit” at first. Further context, however, sheds light on this inclusion. In a pivotal scene, Snow encounters the glorious White Hart – described reverently as “He” by the dwarves. As she touches the mythical creature, a dwarf whispers breathlessly “She is the one!” The scene is even shot in such a way that Snow appears to be standing on water.

In any other fantasy film, I’d write this off as stereotypical “SHE IS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE PROPHECY!” posturing. But the film takes this a step further: whereas in the source material “true love’s kiss” is the force that resurrects Snow, in “Snow White and the Huntsman” not a single mention is made of “true love’s” supposedly miraculous power. (Ironically, Snow is actually betrayed by a kiss at one point.) Though it’s never explicitly stated, there’s a very real sense that Snow is acting out a much larger, cosmic plan of sorts…that this is a struggle for the ultimate victory of good, not just a squabble over magical Botox.

(Side note for any serious theology buffs: early on in the movie, a much younger Snow helps heal a bird with a broken wing. The “Infancy Gospel of Thomas,” a Gnostic text purporting to describe the childhood of Christ, contains a story in which Jesus shapes birds from clay and then commands them to fly, bringing them to life. I’m pretty sure this wasn’t an intentional inclusion, but if so…it’s a very clever touch.)

All that being said, this semi-messianic theme remains underdeveloped throughout the third act – and this highlights perhaps the most unfortunate problem with “Snow White and the Huntsman”: obvious meddling by studio executives. In their efforts to make a “tentpole” movie that would appeal to all audiences, the top brass evidently succeeded in deleting anything contentious or innovative. The end product, naturally, is rather bland.

The seeds of a really, really good movie are here. The first half-hour is spellbinding, and I’d be surprised if the movie didn’t scoop up a few awards for its gorgeous cinematography throughout. What drags it down is an abysmal script…one that consistently refuses to go in any interesting directions. The evil queen comes closest to being a nuanced character, but there’s no follow-through. In her final confrontation with the queen, Snow declares “You can’t have my heart.” (No, really? I had no idea!) An awkward pause follows, and I hoped there would be some unique follow-up…some forgiveness proffered or redemption foreshadowed. But alas, such was not to be.

(Note to screenwriters: throwing in a tragic Sympathy Scene to try to “humanize” your villain is a cheap move. If “The Silence of the Lambs” featured a flashback of Hannibal Lecter being bullied in high school, would that have improved the movie? There are better ways to create a multidimensional antagonist.)

This, in turn, hamstrings the very talented actors on display. Charlize Theron conjures up cold menace as the queen, but the script requires her to do lots of deranged screaming…which ends up sounding ludicrous. Kristen Stewart comes off as a bit of a prig, and Chris Hemsworth is obviously still stuck in “Thor” mode.

None of this is to say that “Snow White and the Huntsman” is a “bad” movie. It’s not – in fact, when stacked up against “Clash of the Titans,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and others, it’s pretty good. It reminded me a lot of the Narnia films (in a good way)…there’s much more C.S. Lewis than Tim Burton here. As entertainment, I enjoyed it…though I can’t help wondering how much better it could have been.

For all the hype over the “dark” tone of this film, it’s really pretty tame in the content department. There are a few mild sexual elements, and frequent outbreaks of mostly-bloodless violence, but the PG-13 rating is never pushed. (Given the source material, I expected some serious boundary-pushing on all levels…but this doesn’t materialize).

Is it worth watching?

If not in theaters, owners of Blu-ray players need to see this one at some point…the visuals and cinematography are breathtaking. Fans of fantasy action epics could do much worse, and there is some interesting food for thought here. In the end, “Snow White and the Huntsman” is a good film – but one that falls short of greatness by a maddeningly slim margin.

VERDICT: 7/10
A gorgeously rendered, though tragically substance-less, fantasy epic.

Normalized Score: 3.4

As a fantasy-loving 14-year-old, few books stirred my imagination more than Christopher Paolini’s “Eragon” and “Eldest.” Not only were both novels rousing adventures, they were also authored by a former homeschooler just a few years older than me – inspiring for a young writer like me. I devoured both tomes (four times apiece) and eagerly anticipated the concluding installment.

Fast forward three years, and Paolini made a horribly misguided decision: splitting the final volume into two. After years of anticipation, “Brisingr” just fell flat. Not only was the writing not up to snuff with his previous work, “Brisingr” barely advanced the story and lapsed into tedious subplots. I wasn’t holding my breath for Book 4 – the story had become horribly predictable, and a half-rate conclusion was assured. Or so I thought.

It’s been three more years, but the quartet-concluding finale – “Inheritance” – has finally arrived. And I am happy to report that it vastly surpassed my expectations.

“Inheritance” picks up immediately after “Brisingr.” Young warrior Eragon and his mentally-linked dragon, Saphira, are finally beginning their campaign against evil King Galbatorix. Backed by a host of allies – elf princess Arya, rebel commander Nasuada, Eragon’s brawny cousin Roran, dwarf king Orik, and others – they press forward through enemy city after enemy city. And all the while, they must contend with Eragon’s half-brother Murtagh, a fallen Dragon Rider allied with Galbatorix.

It all sounds terribly clichéd to anyone who’s read much fantasy. And the first 500 pages of “Inheritance” (it’s a colossal 850-page volume) are a predictable slog. Most of the major plot elements here have been clear almost from the start of the series. Good guys fight enemies, suffer a few minor struggles along the way, and approach the final battle. And on and on it goes. I wasn’t holding my breath for anything spectacular.

But as the book hits its third act, the story suddenly explodes into pulse-pounding life. A series of clever, expectation-defying twists is thrown in, leading to a thrilling and deeply satisfying climax. Characters are forced to use more than brute strength to accomplish their goals – a refreshing departure from what I expected. Reading the last half of “Inheritance,” I felt like a young teenager enjoying “Eragon” for the first time. The magic and wonder of Paolini’s fantasy universe finally blossoms, and the plot takes some surprisingly mature directions. The fact is, this is an exciting final chapter, and I certainly didn’t expect to be as riveted as I was.

From a stylistic standpoint, the book is unfortunately weighed down by Paolini’s poor writing. Particularly in the first half of the book, I found myself stopping mid-paragraph to marvel at the ineptness of Paolini’s prose (and, for that matter, his editor). “Inheritance” too often dissolves into a rush of “thesaurian” words, overwrought similes, and badly constructed sentences. (It’s worth noting, though, that by the end I wasn’t distracted by this anymore – maybe I was too engaged in the story, or maybe the writing simply gets better as the book goes on).

“Inheritance” is also crippled by bloat – the same sort of bloat that afflicts almost all of Robert Jordan’s later work. There comes a time when every writer must sacrifice subplots and extraneous characters in the name of the greater story. If that has to be done by killing off unneeded characters, so be it. These elements shouldn’t have been there in the first place unless they advance the plot somehow. In retrospect, virtually all of “Brisingr” should have been sent to the chopping block, as well as a good third of “Inheritance.” There is no reason – short of wanton profit-mongering – that this series needed to extend across four huge books.

(Aside: With all due respect to Paolini, the wait time between books has been completely unreasonable. If Terry Brooks and Ted Dekker can crank out multiple, well-written 400-page novels within one year, more than three years is ridiculous for an 850-page book. Just had to get that off my chest…)

One of the great strengths of Paolini’s writing, however, is his fascinating attention to cultural details. Occasionally, “Inheritance” lapses into beautiful moments of deep reverie. The joy and mystery of an undiscovered world shines through, drawing the reader’s attention away from dull political diatribes and endless spell casting. Throughout “Inheritance,” clever little touches are thrown in – the legend of an ancient tribal hero, for instance, or an indestructible sword crafted from “the archetype of an inclined plane” – that keep the book worth reading. Paolini might not be a very good writer of political intrigue, but he’s an outstanding world-builder.

There are some interesting worldview touches sprinkled throughout the entire series. “Eragon” briefly mentions the beliefs of Eragon’s fellow villagers (a kind of primitive animism), while “Eldest” highlights the atheism of the elves. The polytheistic dwarves get their turn in “Brisingr” – culminating with what seems to be the manifestation of a deity at a dwarven coronation ceremony. In “Inheritance,” the spotlight turns to rebel leader Nasuada’s monotheism. Unfortunately, these elements never get the development they deserve. They’re thrown in as offhanded references rather than plot touchstones, which may unintentionally reflect the series’ humanistic tone. By the end, Eragon adopts a sort of loose agnosticism – preferring to live a long life and die peacefully rather than pursue the eternal life offered by faith. It’s never quite clear where exactly Paolini stands on matters of religion and spirituality. (Some readers may wish to note that there’s a ton of magic and pseudo-occultism throughout the series, but it’s never portrayed as an alternative worldview system).

Objectionable content comes in the form of sustained fantasy violence (often bloody) and some nightmarish torture sequences. (If you don’t know what a degloving injury is, rest assured, you will after “Inheritance”). It’s certainly more graphic than other young adult fantasy, but probably wouldn’t run afoul of a PG-13 rating. This is not “The Hunger Games,” and the combat here packs far less of a punch. There’s no sexual content to speak of, and only one or two mild profanities.

If, like me, you’ve been reading Paolini’s novels from a young age, you owe it to yourself to pick up “Inheritance.” “Brisingr” might have been a letdown, but “Inheritance” is a fine conclusion to a relatively strong series. Sure, it’s flawed – pretty badly in some respects – but it has a lot to recommend it nonetheless. By the end, I was thoroughly enjoying “Inheritance” – once it defied my expectations, I was content to sit back and enjoy the ride. Adult fans of fantasy will likely find Paolini’s work deficient and derivative, but longtime fans will find much to like here.

It’s not “Harry Potter,” nor is it “The Hunger Games.” But it’s still pretty good.

VERDICT: 7.5/10
A surprisingly strong conclusion to a long-running epic.