Snow White is the latest Disney animated film to get the live-action remake treatment. The movie has already weathered a storm of controversy, ranging from its casting to its use of CGI dwarves. With the controversy aside, I plan on focusing on the movie as a whole, and overall, it’s a mixed bag.
It certainly plays to Disney’s strengths in creating a visually impressive world with its fantastical production design and costumes, but it also contains plot points that seem superfluous and lethargic. It’s a movie I wish made me care more about it than I did.
Rachel Zegler stars as the title character who grows up in a fairy tale kingdom and loses her mother at a young age. It isn’t long before her father remarries and her stepmother becomes the new Queen (Gal Gadot). Gadot stays true to the spirit of her animated counterpart and is easily one of the movie’s bright spots. But more on that in a bit.
The Queen forces her people to live under a tyrannical empire and constantly relies on her Magic Mirror to remind her she’s the fairest in the land. However, one person who refuses to live under her authority is a bandit named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap). He escapes from her kingdom with bread, but not before encountering Snow White.
Snow White is sent out on a false errand so she can be killed, but one of her lackeys lets her go due to her kindness. She finds her way into the forest where she inevitably comes into the home of the Seven Dwarves. I won’t bother going into their names, but I will say that the execution is not entirely convincing. Some of the animation of the dwarves is fine, but other scenes tread dangerously into the uncanny valley.
Again, I do say the movie looks quite good, as most Disney live-action remakes do, and it’s clear that Gadot has a lot of fun in the role. However, the special effects lack conviction and detail, and some shots of the kingdom are obviously computer-generated. The movie fails to seamlessly integrate the live-action and CGI at times.
Some of the new songs in the movie are not particularly memorable, but “Heigh Ho” remains faithfully reproduced. Zegler’s voice is outstanding.
Zegler herself does what she can with the material and she’s efficient in some scenes but doesn’t really bring the gravity needed for the role. Apart from the musical numbers, she doesn’t do much to shine. She seems more swallowed up by the production rather than fully inhabiting it.
Snow White didn’t leave me grumpy, but some scenes did make me sleepy. When it was all said and done, instead of singing ‘Heigh Ho,’ I was whistling ho-hum.
Grade: C+
(Rated PG for violence, some peril, thematic elements and brief rude humor.)
