Updated Proposal:

Type of Item Reviewed: As a fantasy movie geek, Im going to write a review of an oft-maligned (use your
online dictionary, students, ) and under-appreciated fantasy film, Snow White and the Huntsman.
Readers: My primary reader group is adult fantasy movie fans, aged 25-45 because this group is more likely to
have the necessary experience with the fantasy genre that shaped the movie. I write to this particular audience
because theyre the only ones, like myself, who are likely to enjoy this movie because they have the interest
and knowledge to do so. My audience is savvy: theyre aware of the Brothers Grimm at least, and have read
several fairy talesenough to know that such tales have that messy just because sort of logic. Fantasy fans
include children and adults who consume lots of fantasy in books and film: they are likely to understand all
the references I make in the review (I dont think many of my students, most of whom are not fantasy geeks,
have heard of Legend, for example). Their knowledge of the genre shapes how I write the movie review in
terms of the kinds of allusions and examples I make. Whats more, fans of a particular genre are more apt to
feel closer to and have a greater appreciation for actors and movies that many people havent ever heard of.
Finally, it isnt preaching to the choir when I write to fellow fantasy geeks because the critics reviews and
associations with Twilight likely destroyed any interest any had in seeing the movie. Thus, I have my work cut
out for me.
My secondary group of readers consists of my English 120 students, so I have to tone down the geeky
terminology just a tiny bit for a group consisting of mostly non-fantasy geeks by clarifying their context. A
tertiary group of readers includes potential employers, since I use this in my professional content writing
portfolio.
Objective: I not only want my audience to see the movie, but think about it in a broader context so,
hopefully, they can enjoy it even more. How can Snow White and the Huntsman ba anything but a loving
pastiche of fantasy in the last 25 years? The evidence is splattered throughout the movie itself.
I used a conversational style with big words like pastiche, aesthetic, and ethos to seem approachable and not
boring but educated; I want to cultivate an educated geek persona so Ill be taken seriously (ethos). And my
knowledge of what the fantasy genre and fairy tale genre is helps establish credibility as well (more ethos). I
know what the genre, in a basic way, is supposed to do, and I know a lot about fantasy movies in general.
Because of the Twilight connection If my audience doesnt take me seriously, they wont consider my
argument.
Argument: in my review, I will argue that although SWH has noticeable flaws and is a poor movie by most
standards, my audience of fantasy geeks can look at it as a beautifully crafted hot mess made just for usand
maybe an intelligent update of the fairy tale genre as well. To support my argument, I will use appeals to
reason, such as comparing the films weird logic to fairy tale logic; I will also use sources reputable to my
audience; namely, professional movie reviews and J.R.R. Tolkiens.
Publication (be specific): Professional fantasy blog Mithril Wisdom http://www.mithrilwisdom.com/

Snow White and the Huntsman: A Hot Mess

for Fantasy Geeks
By Cody Kaser
January 15, 2015
When I saw the first bits of the trailer for Snow White and
the Huntsman I thought it looked like an expensive ripoff
of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Yet even the dregs of
films like those are worth a look if youre a fantasy geek
like me. So Snow White looked intriguing until
Kristen Stewart showed up. Crud, I thought, and
asked myself, Is this going to be a medieval Twilight like
last years abysmal Red Riding Hood? Yes, I have
grudgingly watched both of those filmsand while Im
genuinely glad they make someone elses day, Im not going to waste two hours and ten bucks on
medieval teen melodrama no matter how pretty the scenery is. Another trailer came out that made
the film much more appealing, so I decided to check out Snow White and the Huntsman on the big
screen.
Though the new take on Snow White feels a bit confused and uneven, I can say without hesitation
that it is an enjoyable film, particularly for us fantasy fans. In fact, Snow White and the Huntsman is a
delicious hot mess made specifically for us (maybe by happy accident?).
The movie is a dark retelling of the familiar Snow White motif much darker than the original
recorded by the Brothers Grimm yet not as dark as Neil Gaimans short story Snow, Glass Apples
(think Game of Thrones with vampires). This version features Kristen Stewart as bland Snow White,
Charlize Theron as the deliciously over-the top Queen Ravenna, and Chris Hemsworth as the gruff
and tough Huntsman, as well as an unforgettable pack of dwarfs.
Therons Queen murders Snow Whites father, takes over his kingdom, and locks the little girl in a
tower for several years. The evil queens vampiric reign, sucking the life out of the people and the
land, evokes a dirty black-and-gray Mordor/Voldemort sort of aesthetic. The 18-ish Snow White
escapes, runs into the huntsman who has been coerced into hunting down her by the Queens men.
Snow White and the Huntsman, of course, take up together, and flee from the relentless pursuit of
the Queens men. They encounter trolls, poisoned apples, forest-dwelling dwarfs and, yes, epic
battles ensue. Sound familiar? The Ooh Trays Ed Whitfield wrote that Snow White succumbed to
formula (par. 4) Yes, Snow White and the Huntsman comes off like a pastiche of other fantasy films
and fairy tales because it is. And thats one reason why I suggest seeing this film.
For a fantasy movie, it is really important to have fantastic visuals and thats one of the things I
enjoyed about this film. Though its clearly inspired by a plethora of fantasy movies, Snow White and
the Huntsman is inspired by beautiful fantasy movies. A glance at some of the reviews suggests that
critics, such as Mariah Matheson of TheExaminer.com, generally agreed that the movies visuals are
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where its at (par. 1). The Mercurys Tim Martain adds critical consensus, praising the constantly
shifting and changing yet nice visual aesthetic (par. 25). The lush, green forest reminded me of
the forest scenes in Legend, for example. The visual aesthetic, with its stark gothic blacks gray
overtones, and muted splashes of gold, reminded me of the later Harry Potter films. A sequence of
scenes of a line of mixed-height characters walking toward the right of the screen reminded me of
the fellowships journey in The Fellowship of the Ring. The jerky-cam battle action reminded me
of Gladiator. And the scene in which the dukes son takes on the Queens royal delivery cart in the
woods via a well staged ambush was reminiscent of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Taking such a tally,
you might even say the filmmakers were just uninspired and lazy, ripping off other fantasy movies
instead of making something original. But wait, theres more
Then theres the fantasy genre cast. The three leads, Kristen Stewart (Twilight, duh), Chris
Hemsworth (Thor, The Avengers, Star Trek) as the Huntsman, and Charlize Theron as the evil queen
Rovenna(Hancock, on Flux, Mighty Joe Young) have some recognition in the horror-sci-fi-fantasy
genres. And though Theron and Hemsworth are great, its the supporting cast that rounds out the
film as one big, fantasy family. Audiences might recognize Bob Hoskins, for example, from Hook,
Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Brazil. The other cast, including Sam Claflin, Ian McShane, Ray
Winstone, Nick Frost, Toby Jones, Edie Marsan, , Lily Cole, and Vincent Regan have appeared in or
lent their distinctive voices to Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, The Sorcerers Apprentice, The
Seeker, Pillars of the Earth, Harry Potter, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, King Arthur, Beowulf, 300,
Troy, Clash of the Titans, Hugo Kung Fu Panda, Shrek the Third and Coraline. The list doesnt end there,
but the point is clear: the filmmakers selected actors who have appeared in the kinds of films fantasy
fans love: sci-fi, sword & sandal, historical movies, and, of course, live action and cartoon fantasy.
Considering, it is beginning to look like the filmmakers are up to something.

In a geeky way, it felt kind of like going home, recognizing all these people. And yes, I had to look
up some people up on Imdb.com to refresh my memory; nevertheless, the depth of the cast's
fantasy experience shows that the filmmakers cared enough to at least do their fantasy genre
homework.
By now, it's becoming clear that maybe the filmmakers know a little more about the genre than first
impressions suggest. Fantasy is about escape. Paradoxically, to do this, fantasy has to acknowledge
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reality. It has to tell its audience that it knows it is make-believe, and thus coax them into suspending
their disbelief.
The thing about fantasy audiences most non-fantasy fans don't understand is that we know that
what were seeing isnt real. Just because someone likes fantasy doesnt mean he or she has a loose
grip on reality. Quite the opposite in fact. J.R.R. Tolkien, in his landmark essay On Fairy Stories,
writes fantasy is founded on the hard recognition that things are so as it appears under the sun; on
a recognition of fact, but not slavery to it (144). Paraphrasing Tolkien, fantasy offers audiences an
opportunity to venture into the world of make-believe so we can get a better grip on reality: prisoners
escaping oppression, not deserters leaving their duties (Tolkien 148).
The story itself shows an appreciation of the fantasy genreparticularly, its older cousin, the fairy
tale. Unlike Christopher Nolan movies or John LeCarre novels, fairy tales obey the laws and logic of
their own worlds.
Snow White and the Huntsman has a lot of plot holes, kind of like fairy tales do. Martain, in his negative
review, remarks on the messy story: It frequently feels confused, directionless and overstuffed, with
an uneven pace and a tone that lurches from dark gothic horror to candy-colored fairy garden to
epic fantasy battle and back again (par. 20). Whitfield implies such criticism when he sums up the
movie as a folkloric dump (par. 1). I beg to differ, sort of. Because the film captures so much of
what we love about the genre, might we look at what appears to be an unholy mess another way?
Its a matter of interpretation. Snow Whites plot holes and illogical story come from fairy-tale logic.
Things happen Just Because in fairy tales (but dont tell Bruno Bettelheim or Joseph Campbell that).
The evil Queen keeps Snow White alive Just Because. Snow White finds an, ahem, white horse on
the beach waiting for her just because magpies know how to talk to horses, apparently. And those
same magpies also know just the right escape route from the Queens castle. And Snow White is
pure and innocent, you know, just because. Wait, silly meSnow White is innocent and pure
because her mother wished for a pure and innocent child after pricking her finger on a rose thorn.
And the White Hart blesses Snow White in the green forest Just Because. And when its shot with
an arrow by the bad guys, it bursts into a thousand white butterflies Just Because. The evil Queen
doesnt have power in the Dark Forest Just Because. Is this lazy storytelling or a nod to a beloved,
ancient genre?
The latter is what we, as fantasy fans, can embrace about this hot mess of a Snow White remix: the
film lets us know we dont have to worry about things making sense. Just sit back and enjoy the ride
fantastic.
Its all how you choose to look at it, and we can choose to wring enjoyment out of the movie like
some magic cheese, if we want. Snow White and the Huntsman isnt a great film, but I liked it a lot, and
if you approach it with a positive perspective, I think you will, too. In the end, its not just the
filmmakers genre knowledge, visual pastiche, or fragmented story logic that make the film
enjoyable: its really the strangely beautiful way in which those things work together. Snow White and
the Huntsman is certainly a mess, but its our mess.
Normal viewer score: 5/10
Fantasy geek score: 8/10
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Works Cited
Martain, Tim. Snow Bored. TheMercury.com. June 23, 2012. The Mercury. Web. 21 July 2012.
Matheson, Mariah. Snow White and the Huntsman: A Beautiful Mess. TheExaminer.com. May 31, 2012.
Web. 12 Jan. 2013.
Whitfield, Ed. Film Review: Snow White and the Huntsmen [sic]: Forest Gump. TheOohTray.com.
June 6, 2012. The Ooh Tray. Web. 21 July 2012.
Snow White and the Huntsman Blu-ray Cover. OneClickWatch.org. Photo. N.d. One Click Watch.
Web. 31 August 2012.
Snow White and the Huntsman. Dir. Rupert Sanders. Perf. Charlize Theron, Kristen Steward, Chris
Hemsworth, and Bob Hoskins. Universal, 2012. Film.
Tolkien, J.R.R. On Fairy Stories. The Monsters and the Critics and other Essays. Ed. Christopher
Tolkien. London: HarperCollins, 2006. 109-161.
Image of the Huntsman and the Dwarfs. ScreenRant.com. Photo. N.d. Screen Rant. Web. 31 August
2012.