Synopsis:
The Huntsman: Winter’s War stars Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road, Monster) as the evil Queen Ravenna, who betrays her good sister Freya (Emily Blunt: Sicario, Edge of Tomorrow) with an unforgivable act, freezing Freya’s heart to love and unleashing in her an icy power she never knew she possessed. Retreating to a kingdom far to the north, Freya raises an army of Huntsmen as her protectors, with the only rule that no two of them should ever fall in love. As a war for domination escalates between the two queens, the hero standing between good and evil is Freya’s most elite Huntsman, Eric (Chris Hemsworth: Thor, Star Trek Into Darkness). Alongside fellow warrior Sara (Jessica Chastain: The Martian, The Help) — the only woman who has ever captured his heart — Eric must help Freya vanquish her sister or Ravenna’s wickedness will rule for eternity.
What We Thought:
The Huntsman: Winter’s War wastes a fantastic cast on an unnecessary movie. Even some of the best actresses in the world can’t save the film.
I think the biggest problem with the movie (besides being unnecessary) is that you aren’t quite sure if it’s a prequel or a sequel. It’s sort of both a sequel and a prequel to Snow White & The Huntsman. I didn’t think much of that film so I thought the subtraction of Kristen Stewart and the addition of two of my favorite actresses (Jessica Chastain and Emily Blunt) would help, but the movie is just a mess.
The first film was a change on the classic Snow White, but overall was still a Snow White film. This one focuses on Chris Hemsworth’s Huntsman character when the entire focus should have been on Blunt and Charlize Theron who returned with Hemsworth from the first film. Blunt and Theron play powerful sisters at odds with each other.
It’s the battles between Blunt and Theron that were more interesting than Hemsworth and Chastain. That should have been the main plot of the film to me. The Hemsworth/Chastain love story angle seems played out and I grew tired of it. I’d rather have seen Theron and Blunt going back and forth. If you have two actresses like that in your movie, you better use them right!
I don’t know if I liked the visuals of the movie. It relies heavily on them especially when you make one character into Frozen’s Elsa. I’m not a big fan of CGI laden films and this is just another one. Maybe I’m too old school for these films.
The 4K does look absolutely amazing though. I may not be a fan of CGI, but this movie looks pristine perfect in 4K. The coloring, the shading, the visuals all pop big time on your 4K television. For a film like this, it is a step up from the normal Blu-ray. Audio is top-notch as well with easy to hear dialogue and effects. It comes with commentary, deleted scenes and much more.
The Huntsman: Winter’s War was pretty disappointing at the box office. Having finally seen the film, I understand why. It’s all over the place and has no real focus. I like Hemsworth, Theron, Blunt and Chastain and not one of them could make it worth watching to me. There was no need for a second film and the result is completely unnecessary.
NOT WORTH YOUR TIME!
Bonus Features:
- Deleted Scenes with Commentary
- Gag Reel
- Meet the Dwarfs
- Two Queens and Two Warriors
- Magic All Around
- Dressed To Kill
- Love Conquers All
- Feature Commentary by director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
Cast & Crew:
- Chris Hemsworth
- Charlize Theron
- Emily Blunt
- Jessica Chastain
Recommended If You Like:
- Snow White and the Huntsman
- Frozen (for adults)
The Nerds Templar 