r/movies • u/ChiefLeef22 • 18d ago
Review 'Disney's Snow White' - Review Thread
Director - Marc Webb
Starring - Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, Andrew Burnapp, Martin Klebba, Ansu Kabia
A beautiful girl, Snow White, takes refuge in the forest in the house of seven dwarfs to hide from her stepmother, the wicked Queen. The Queen is jealous because she wants to be known as "the fairest in the land," and Snow White's beauty surpasses her own.
Rotten Tomatoes: 47% (Rotten)
Metacritic: 47/100 (Mixed or Average)
Some Reviews:
The Hollywood Reporter - David Rooney
Webb proves equally adept at romantic interludes, attack scenes and production numbers, notably the joyous finale, “Good Things Grow,” with the entire cast outfitted by Powell in resplendent white. Sure, those poorly integrated CG little people take some getting used to, but this is the type of wholesome and uplifting family entertainment that comes directly from old-school Disney DNA.
Awards Watch - Erik Anderson [C+]
Snow White is more clearly made for children than most of the other Disney live-action remakes, and its focus on being a fairytale helps with that goal. This is a simple story that anyone can understand and enjoy, with a cheer-worthy lead and some catchy, if unmemorable, new songs. The film threads the needle about as well as it possibly could, which is impressive even if it doesn’t mean the film is actually great. You may not be whistling on your way out of the theater, but at least watching Snow White doesn’t feel like work.
You could say that we’ve seen other fairy-tale rulers a lot like this one. Yet movies connect in mysterious ways. Who would have thought that a Disney live-action remake could seem this pointedly political? In the end, the most resonant romantic feeling “Snow White” leaves you with may be: Someday my chintz authoritarian will come tumbling down.
Rachel Zegler is the heart and soul of this film. Not only does she deliver an impressive vocal performance, but she also radiates charisma and emotion in every scene. Her Snow White is fearless, fair, brave, and true like she should be, elevating the character to a new level of sophistication. It’s disappointing to see how many people will leave outside influences to shape their perception of her work because this is, without a doubt, one of the most memorable performances of the year from one of the most talented actresses of her generation.
Independent (UK) - Clarisse Loughrey [1/5]
With Snow White, they’ve finessed their formula -- do the bare minimum to make a film, then simply slap a bunch of cutesy CGI animals all over it and hope no one notices. The film’s prince, played by Andrew Burnap and, for some reason, called Jonathan, is essentially Disney cannibalising itself, as he has the same thief backstory and curtain bangs as Tangled’s Flynn Rider. There’s self-cannibalisation at work, too, in Sandy Powell’s costumes, which are dour replicas of their animated counterparts. At times, Zegler’s bob leans dangerously close to “little Dutch boy”. What’s most disheartening about it all is how predictable Disney’s choices have become.
The Daily Beast - Nick Schager
From a strictly political standpoint, it provides a more enlightened portrait of female independence. Such a nominal improvement, however, proves inherently incompatible with its source material, and the resultant awkwardness defines this misfire, whose every duplication is underwhelming, and whose every alteration is less a move in the right direction than a step on a face-smacking rake. No Magic Mirror is needed to identify it as the lamest Mouse House re-do of them all.
Guardian - Peter Bradshaw [1/4]
Those otherwise estimable performers Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot are now forced to go through the motions, and they give the dullest performances of their lives. Here is a pointless new live-action musical version of the Snow White myth, a kind of un-Wicked approach to the story and a merch-enabling money machine. Where other movies are playfully reimagining the backstories of famous villains, this one plays it straight, but with carefully curated revisionist tweaks.
Some parts of the film work better than others, but none of it has the sweetness and imagination of the animated feature. This “Snow White” is not the fairest of them all. It’s just, well, fair. The other core elements of any version of this story are all present here, with varying degrees of success. Near the top is replicating Disney’s version of the iconic magic mirror that answers the question about fairness (the mirror for “Sydney White’s” nemesis is the online campus popularity poll). This one is close to the 1937 film’s design, familiar to Disney fans through many appearances in various productions, from the “Wonderful World of Disney” series of the 1950s, when it was voiced by Hans Conried, through the popular “Descendents: Wicked World” series of 2015-17.
The Film Verdict - Alonso Duralde
Like so much of contemporary fantasy cinema, Snow White exists in a weirdly artificial netherworld, and not just where the seven dudes are concerned.
For every attempt to replicate majestic shots from the original or to give them a bit of technological oomph (perhaps most effective as sunlight breaks through Snow White’s fearful first trip through the forest), there is a spurt of modern quippiness that pulls the audience in the other direction. It’s a disorienting take on a film whose success relied as much on its elegance as its beauty, and yet, thanks to sunny songstress Rachel Zegler, there is a talented throughline still obvious amidst the mess.
New York Magazine/Vulture - Alison Willmore
Snow White is, for better and (mostly) worse, a product of a corporation that has for years been lumbering after its idea of the zeitgeist with all the agility of an aging colossus. That, in chasing something vaguely progressive and YA-inspired with Snow White, Disney has turned out a film with some hilariously timely choices is a great joke, though I wouldn’t call it an intentional one. The most pragmatic aspect of Snow White is that with its plasticky set design and gift shop tacky costuming, it already looks like it takes place in a theme park — no adaptations necessary.
Consequence - Liz Shannon Miller [C+]
At the end of the day, the best parts of Snow White are the parts that feel genuinely real and authentic. If only there were more of those, and less screen time spent dancing in the realm of mind-breaking absurdity.
The Playlist - Rodrigo Perez [C-]
Films are supposed to be passion projects, even the biggest and kitschiest, but one wonders what in this material compelled Marc Webb to dedicate two years of his life to this hollow and soulless project seemingly meant to move merchandise other than hopefully what was a very handsome paycheck. White interjecting its social commentary, “Snow White” otherwise tackles much of the same ideas, but it’s all put together in a very familiar and garish package. The fairest in the land? Far from it.
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u/kiyonemakibi100 18d ago
I mean look how the live-action Dumbo didn't do that well either (90s/2000s nostalgia is much higher than 1930s/1940s nostalgia), and while Cinderella did do well, this film cost 2.5-3 times more than that did for some inexplicable reason. But some people can only see things through an endless tedious culture war prism.