Honestly, I don't know what others expected but I had a low opinion of this concept before viewing the film. Maybe lower expectations matter because I found this effort to be an entertaining blend of the Snow White fable and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. To be clear, it's not an epic like LOTR but it really gives off the same flavor (fighting dwarfs, hypnotic scenery, great effects as well as textured fantasy heroes). Some will roll their eyes at comparing the two (an Oscar winning film series versus a Kristen Stewart movie?) but is the overall concept sillier than a long needless trek to throw a magic ring in to a volcano?
I also thought that two-thirds of the lead performances were superb. I've never even seen a Twilight movie so I judge Stewart based on her work here only. She delivers a soulful performance and there was real sadness behind her eyes. Hemsworth was great. It's Charlize Theron that really hurts this film. She really is Razzie Award bad as the over-the-top cheesy evil queen. EVERY scene she chews up made me cringe. Every damn one. The plot isn't grand or even smart and there are character shortcuts but I enjoyed this film quite a bit more than I was expecting.
I also thought that two-thirds of the lead performances were superb. I've never even seen a Twilight movie so I judge Stewart based on her work here only. She delivers a soulful performance and there was real sadness behind her eyes. Hemsworth was great. It's Charlize Theron that really hurts this film. She really is Razzie Award bad as the over-the-top cheesy evil queen. EVERY scene she chews up made me cringe. Every damn one. The plot isn't grand or even smart and there are character shortcuts but I enjoyed this film quite a bit more than I was expecting.