Much has been said about Disney’s latest live-action remake, Marc Webb’s Snow White, in the years and months leading up to its release. Relentless discourse, the kind only heightened by social media and poor faith readings, has surrounded this movie to the point where it feels like anyone weighing in on its actual quality has to provide some kind of disclaimer about their views.
At the end of the day, though, this is simply another movie telling one of the most well-known tales in storytelling history, and the next installment in what seems to be a never-ending list of live-action reimaginings. The movie is not deserving of its pre-emptive scorn, yet still falls prey to the familiar live-action remake problems.
Yes, Rachel Zegler Is A True Star
And Snow White’s Story Changes Help Show That
It’s fair to say that almost everyone knows the story of Snow White (played here by Rachel Zegler), the kind-hearted princess who eats a poisoned apple and falls into a cursed slumber. For the most part, screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson sticks to the familiar plot beats, from Snow’s charmed childhood being overtaken by her wicked stepmother, the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot), to her escape into the woods following the Queen sentencing her to death. This, of course, leads to her meeting seven dwarfs. However, the new Snow White aims to bring this classic tale into the modern day with key changes.
In her latest blockbuster project, Zegler continues to prove she is a star of the highest order.
One major change is something I can’t get into for spoiler reasons, but another is that, here, Snow isn’t particularly preoccupied with the arrival of her prince. The first portion of the movie is spent establishing the lessons her parents instilled within her from a young age, that she should always be fair and kind and strong, all the things a good leader must be. Even as Snow’s life takes a sadder turn and her kingdom (small as it may be, appearance-wise) darkens under the Queen’s watch, she still retains her sweet nature, which proves to be her greatest strength.
In her latest blockbuster project, Zegler (West Side Story, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) continues to prove she is a star of the highest order. Whether she’s acting opposite CGI dwarfs or belting out a heartfelt solo, she commits fully to the role and embodies the true ideal of a fairytale princess. So much of Snow White‘s plot hinges on characters being willing to risk everything for her because of her compᴀssion and good heart, and Zegler portrays it all so beautifully that we don’t doubt for a second that others would fall under her spell so easily.
One person, in particular, certainly falls for Snow. In perhaps the biggest departure from the 1937 original, the male lead here is not a prince, but a roguish bandit named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap). They first meet when he’s stealing food from the Queen, an interaction that lays the groundwork for their burgeoning relationship later on. Playing up an opposites-attract dynamic, their chemistry and banter are believable and enticing, and I was fully invested in their relationship. However, the speed of later developments threw me off-guard, as they follow the Disney romance playbook of falling in love unbelievably quickly.
Snow White Still Has Its Fair Share Of Problems
The Good Can’t Completely Outweigh The Bad Here
It was during the middle portion of Snow White, as the тιтular princess explores the world outside her kingdom and meets new faces, that I wondered if the movie had completely won me over. Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man, 500 Days of Summer) gives those middle scenes a sense of wonder, evoking classic Disney, and the new songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are catchy and fun. (My particular favorite might be the sparring duet between Jonathan and Snow, “Princess Problems”.) However, as it continued, the cracks kept spreading.
The CGI-created dwarfs have earned plenty of scorn already, and I wish I could say they aren’t really that bad on the big screen, but it only gives the whole movie an artificial sheen. Watching Zegler alongside digital characters takes us out of the magic, even if I was charmed by Dopey’s wide-eyed innocence. That sense of fakeness extends to many of the environments surrounding the Snow White cast, which lack the grounded realism found in some of Disney’s previous live-action adventures, like The Chronicles of Narnia or Pirates of the Caribbean.
Shedding her most well-known role as DC’s Wonder Woman to portray one of the most iconic Disney villains of all time, Gadot clearly relishes digging into the Evil Queen’s nastiness. She’s imposing enough, especially when clad in her dark, shimmering gown, and she pulls off the Queen’s musical number with decent vocals. Ultimately, though, this villain falls flat because she’s underwritten and Gadot can’t quite push her into full camp status without the writing to back her up.
All of this culminates in a final act that, while true to Snow White’s characterization, is anticlimactic and a touch too saccharine. Zegler is an absolute highlight, and fans of hers will be thrilled at the performance she gives here. But for those exhausted by Disney’s CGI-heavy remakes, I’m not sure that there’s enough of a spark here to win them over. Snow White can hardly be considered a failure, and it’s not Disney’s worst effort by a long sH๏τ, but I wished for a bit more.
