2 months ago
25
Like the seven dwarves toiling away deep into the earth, Disney seems content to continue mining its impressive library of classics for all they’re worth. At one time the live action remakes of beloved animated films was a recipe for surefire success, but nostalgia doesn’t seem to mean as much as it did.
Snow White is the latest such attempt, but in this case doing so is at odds with the very audience it’s meant to appeal to. The original was a wonder for animation as a film medium, but couldn’t be more dated. Snow White is hardly a character in her own story, and the evolved conversation around consent has made the iconic “true love’s kiss to a sleeping princess” less of a draw for a modern crowd.
Acknowledging these qualms gives this remake a sense of renewed identity. Snow White is far more vocal this time around, and has concrete motivations. Instead of pining for a prince to save her, she’s steadfast in her fight to overthrow the evil queen herself. This means the omission of the song Someday My Prince Will Come, replaced with the song Waiting On A Wish. Yet at the same time the film is slavish to its origins, devoting a large chunk of screentime to their halfling mascots, the seven dwarves.
All this makes Snow White a film that’s at war with itself, a sentiment that carries over to the controversial cast. Rachel Zegler may not have been the first choice for many to play Snow White, but she shines brightly with a stunning voice and a gracefulness fitting for a Disney princess.
Her co-star Gal Gadot, on the other hand, delivers a flat performance. Even with material that could allow her to shine, she comes across as though she’s reading lines off a board. Gadot’s portrayal falls short, perhaps because playing an evil dictator who ravages a land once home to peaceful people, hoarding its resources, and launching military campaigns that ensure suffering and starvation, may have been a role she struggled to connect with.
Many elements of Snow White feel a little misguided. The story is the one you know, except when it isn’t, making it feel familiar and strange at the same time. Without the baggage of comparison, the film’s biggest crime is being longer than it needs to be, especially when that time is spent on an undercooked love story and a not so magnetic villain. Thankfully, Zegler is worth watching and the reimagined musical adventure of Snow White has enough there for an audience to enjoy.
Rating: Low Half Price
Damian Levy is a film critic and podcaster for Damian Michael Movies.entertainment@gleanerjm.com
English (US) ·