Queen Freya, the Ice Queen, is the good sister. Well, she's not all that good. The battle of the queens rages on. Great opening of the Huntsman. A rival between queen sisters Ravenna (Charlize Theron) and Freya (Emily Blunt) becomes imbedded in hate when Ravanna who does not believe in love burns Freyda's baby, a product of love. Ravanna worships hate. Dark, brooding and hypnotic this beginning will have you leaning forward in your seat. After her baby's smoking, fiery death, Freya retreats to her Ice Palace and becomes its Queen where she has warriors trained as children to defend her and eventually to battle Ravenna. Liam Hemsworth (Eric) is the leader of her huntsmen that is of Queen Freya's warriors who falls I love with Jessica Chastain (Sara)
Once again writers Evan Spiliotopoulos, Craig Mazin, confuse chaos for plot. Eric, the Huntsman, has been forbidden to love Sara, but he does not follow Ice Queen Freya's orders like a true macho man and continues to court Sara which pisses off Queen Freya who has a way of separating them. To discuss what Queen Freya does would spoil what little there is of plot.
Hence enjoy this film for its fantasy, its costumes and CGI effects. The forest is quite special and the uses of the Ice Queens powers are riveting. While Queen Freya once believed in love, she now is more inclined to believe in hate, but not to the extent of her sister Ravanna who is a Queen of Hate and the finale, a battle between Queen Ravanna and Ice Queen Freya is a true battle of CGI and glorious special effects which will terrify.
For comic relief from this dark fantasy four dwarves are introduced during a search for the mirror in the forest. Both queens need the stolen mirror returned, but it is Eric and the dwarves who find it deep in the jungle-like forest filled with monsters that will make your skin crawl into your neighbor's seat.
The acting is champion though at one point Eric asks Sara, "Are you crying?" And more fake tear drops should have been added to Jessica Chastain's eyes for which I fault make up not Chastian and director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
Emily Blunt morphs from the vulnerable mother whose child is burned in front of her by her own sister into a monstrous Ice Queen 'almost' devoid of vulnerability. And as to Charlize Theron, she does not miss a beat with her evilness oozing like the black CGI effect for blood spilling out and into that "mirror mirror on the wall.."
About Charlize Theron and her portrayal of the "Most Evil" Queen, on a morning show Emily Blunt said, "I do not know many people who would want to go up against Charlize."
If fantasy, glorious costumes and an undying belief in love are for you, see The Huntsman: Winter's War. If you have a hankering to figure out how the Brother's Grimm tale of Snow White fits into this film, Snow White and The Huntsman followed this prequel so you may chose to revisit it as it received an Oscar for visual effects. Hence the supervisor of these masterful visual effects, Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, became the director of The Huntsman: A Winter's Tale. It's also known as milking a Grimm Fairy Tale.
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