Skip to main content

The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016), PG-13, ★1/2

There, there...now you will have power. 
Another unnecessary sequel in 2016...I don't know if anybody was craving for another Huntsman movie. I'll grant you, though, its predecessor was not as bad as I thought but had some good things in it. This movie, again, is just another paycheck movie for big talented stars and producers to see dollar signs on. Heck, I don't even know what this movie is about because of its over bloated script that piles on so many random puzzles that it is a coherent mess.

Before the origins of Snow White, Queen Ravena (Charlize Theron) killed her husband and ruled over his kingdom with the power of the Magic Mirror. Her sister, Freya (Emily Blunt) will be by her side once she rules. Freya is also carrying the Duke of Blackwood's (Colin Morgan) son, in which the Duke was promised to another. In flashback, Freya and the Duke had a daughter but she finds out that her kid had died due to her crib being burnt. Freya screams in sorrow, unleashing her icy powers and turn the Duke into an ice statue that shatters. She also trains children who have killed their parents to become huntsman. (Ummm...okay?)

Two of the huntsman have grown and have experience in combat: Eric (Chris Hemsworth) and Sara (Jessica Chastain). As tragedy strikes, seven years pass by so that Eric and Sara can be separated as Freya was jealous of their loving relationship. But, then, they try to hunt down for the Mirror that has been haunting Snow White as they battle goblins, the huntsman and also Queen Ravena. That's it, right?

Chris Hemsworth and Jessica Chastain.
I was entranced by the visuals but I was so bored and lost by the narrative. No wonder losing Kristen Stewart really made the story jumbled because the screenwriters had to figure a way around the Snow White character even when she is absent from the picture. But, she might have saved the movie from its very bad script because it tries too cram in so much story in its characters that the screenwriters and director felt so desperate to entertain us. They felt so desperate that they focused so much on the visuals and less on the story and its story felt more like an angry soap-opera version of Frozen.

Man, two of my favorite actresses in recent years are in this crammed mess and they both give underwhelming performances. Emily Blunt gives a restrained and boring performance as another queen trying to take over the kingdom and Jessica Chastain's character wants to embody the strong female presence but is there as a pawn for Hemsworth to re-ignite that true love and feels like a forced situation for the story to become interesting. And, Charlize Theron just screams her ways through like a match for its predecessor. Plus, the dwarves want to create some humor but fails.

This is a movie that is not coherently told well but it is a products of remnants of ideas that are scattered all over the place to desperately manipulate us to enjoy the themes of true love and action sequences. I will admit the costume designs and the production value is on-par with top quality but it is not enough to boast enough value into enjoying the movie because of a terrible script and fairly uninteresting characters.

*1/2


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), PG-13, ★★1/2

We're about halfway through the Harry Potter franchise and this is the turning point in which I found the material to be darker and more mature when the storyline surrounding Lord Voldemort grows. And, also we see another new and fresh direction as David Yates comes into the spotlight to finish off the franchise with the last four movies. I remember watching the trailer in the theaters and I was excited for this movie as it was mostly action-packed. The bottom line is despite the camaraderie between the young Hogwarts characters and a real-good action sequence in the climax, it is a choppily edited and more grounded movie that does not provoke much magic or memorable scenery. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is enduring a hot summer and Dudley (Harry Melling) provokes him by making fun of the fact that Harry is haunted by Cedric's death from The Goblet of Fire and also his mom's death. As a storm approaches, demeanors come into the tunnel sucking Dudley's so...
Post a Comment
Read more

Non-Stop (2014), PG-13, 3 stars

The passengers think Bill Marks (Liam Neeson) is a terrorist. Airports and airplanes. The lines. The crowds. The delays. Everything that Bill Marks (Liam Neeson) hates about flying. When it comes to airports, I have to go through the procedure with taking your carry-on baggage and luggage on the flight. Then, I go through security which I have to admit is not as bad, just follow the rules and guidelines. After security, what do you do? If you are two or three hours early, you have time to kill: Have something to eat, watch something on your IPad, shop, etc. As you board and get on the plane, anything can happen from turbulence to maybe something unexpected like this movie's situation. This movie is silly and preposterous, but it is a fun movie to watch. The movie opens with Bill Marks tired drinking alcohol and arguing with a supervisor on his cellphone glancing at a photo of his daughter. But, he is trying to get his act together by lighting a cigarette while he is being pus...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Best 10 Talking Movie Animals

I have to admit when thinking about doing a list of the best movie talking animals, live-action or animated, I thought to myself: "This may be an easy list to do." I was certainly proven wrong because when researching every likable character, it was down to about 25-30. What that proves is that animators, storytellers and filmmakers work real hard on not just its special effects, hand drawn or computer animations, but its persona. How do we, the audience or the viewers, connect with a talking animal? How do you all get us to like the animal? About each of the characters I list have a different personality and charm that we have immediately or have grown to adjust to. Plus, I thought that this was a fun list to do bringing back some of the childhood talking animals that I grew up to watch and also maybe show some of much little cousins the characters that are lovable. 10. Mr. Fox (The Fantastic Mr. Fox) 9. Po (Kung Fu Panda series) 8. Baloo (The Jungle Book) 7...
Post a Comment
Read more