As far as Disney live-action remakes go, the Rachel Zegler-led Snow White may as well be Citizen Kane. Despite Gal Gadot’s best efforts to sink the ship, Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man) delivers a relatively fresh remake that puts its own stamp on the classic story.
Like anything, some of the changes work, while others do not. There are some changes to the original story that will ruffle feathers. As someone with little to no emotional connection to the OG animated feature, I have no problem with the revised story. Snow White doesn’t beat viewers over the head with its messages, despite how it may be perceived going in.
Zegler, who has previously shown her vocal prowess in the likes of West Side Story and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, once again carries a movie. Her performance as the title character in Snow White shines in a movie full of uneven performances (more on Gadot later).
With the exceptions of Kyle Mooney’s Y2K and Spellbound, Zegler continues her rise as a blockbuster movie star. She is becoming a special attraction like a part-time wrestler in WWE; most of her big screen roles have been in tentpoles like West Side Story, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
Unlike other franchise actors, Zegler has the range to bring a certain prestige to her roles. Like old Hollywood stars, she can sing like a top-level Broadway performer, and she can also act (watch West Side Story if you haven’t).
There has not been a better Disney live-action remake than Snow White in years. It is surprisingly better than the marketing would suggest (by a long shot).
Snow White review — What’s it about?
On the surface, the Snow White live-action remake retains most of the animated movie’s identity. The title character, played by Rachel Zegler, is on the run after the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot) tries to kill her.
She retreats to the enchanted forest, where she meets the Seven Dwarfs. Together, they unite to take back the kingdom that is rightfully Snow’s.
This version of Snow White is different from the animated movie’s version. She has more heart than the prior iteration of the character. Her father, the Good King (Hadley Fraser), always made sure to take care of the everyman. However, once the Evil Queen begins to rule with an iron fist, the townspeople are no longer cared for.
That is why she meets Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who steals and fights in the name of the Good King. He attempts to steal from the Evil Queen’s abundance of food, and Snow takes pity on him, helping him escape from imprisonment.
Like Rachel Zegler promised going into the remake, this version of Snow White is not saved by a prince. Where that takes the story is surprisingly effective, as it could have easily become a misguided controversy.
No, this version of Snow White does not become a warrior like in Snow White and the Huntsman. Webb’s remake largely stays true to the spirit of the animated movie — she just isn’t a damsel in distress waiting to be saved.
Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot’s performances
Zegler had arguably the best acting debut in recent memory. Her performance as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story was a great coming-out party. In that remake, she carried the weight of the movie while acting opposite a dull Ansel Elgort performance.
She once again carries the weight in Snow White when acting opposite of Gadot. Gadot has never been classified as a renowned actor, but she has been better than she is in Snow White.
I’ll concede that she had the right look to play the Evil Queen, but that is as far as I’ll go. She does not have the pipes or acting chops to be in these types of roles.
To her credit, she looks like she is having fun playing the bad guy after years of playing the righteous Wonder Woman. The cracks in her acting abilities began to show in Red Notice and Death on the Nile, though, and that downward trajectory continues here.
Usually, it’s a flaw when movies cut away from the villain for long stretches before showing them. In Snow White’s case, it may make sense why they did that.
Some of the other changes
Believe me — the changes could have been worse. Story-wise, Snow White successfully brings a new version to the table that retains the important beats from the animated movie.
However, the decision to make the Seven Dwarfs fully CGI was a mistake. The same goes for the animals that Snow interacts with throughout.
I’d imagine Disney was scarred from the backlash to their recent live-action Lion King remake, which made the animals photo-realistic. The difference is that The Lion King is all about animals, whereas Snow White is about humans with animals (similar to The Jungle Book).
Obviously, it would be nearly impossible to train bluebirds to fly across the frame or have Rachel Zegler ride a deer for Snow White. But the animals almost look cartoonish, kind of like the upcoming Lilo & Stitch remake, which looks out of place amongst live-action sets and actors.
The same goes for the dwarfs, who look like a thing of nightmares. I thought we had moved on from The Polar Express-like CGI, but Disney brought it back for the Seven Dwarfs.
They tried to make Dopey (voiced by Andrew Barth Fieldman with Jaih Betote doing the motion-capture work) cute but to no avail. Even his big ears cannot salvage a garden gnome-looking aesthetic.
Undoing Marc Webb’s direction
While Webb’s previous work is far from the definition of avant-garde, he made a beautiful Disney live-action remake. The landscapes (primarily the woods) feel fantastical, while the castles feel grand. Webb clearly went into making Snow White with an emphasis on its look, making it similar to the Evil Queen’s obsession with vanity in that way.
Still, the jarring CGI characters damper some of Webb’s steady direction. They are like a car crash you can’t look away from. Still, some of Snow White’s landscapes do a good job of feeling like more than a dressed-up set.
Judging by the trailers, you may expect a shiny mess like Wicked, which leaned on sunny backdrops more than it should have. Luckily, Snow White avoids that for the most part, with only a few instances of shoddy lighting jobs (a romantic dance being the worst culprit).
Snow White shares a problem that is all too familiar to Wicked and Disney’s other live-action remakes, like The Little Mermaid — it lacks scope. The sets themselves don’t feel boxed in, but there are only two or three landmark locations. Even the enchanted forest feels somewhat restricted to where Snow and Jonathan meet and the Seven Dwarfs’ home.
I don’t know why so many blockbuster movies cannot build out their worlds effectively. For as tactile as the castles and parts of the forest feel, you can’t help but wonder what you’d see if you took five steps out of frame. Would it just be a green screen?
On one hand, it adds a stageplay-like whimsy to the movie. On the other, it makes it harder to immerse yourself in the world fully.
Should you watch Snow White?
Even with its faults, Snow White is better than any of Disney’s other live-action remakes since Cinderella, maybe with the exception of Cruella, which is more of a prequel spin-off than a remake.
The additions to the OG movie, such as musical numbers like “Princess Problems” and the ending, help differentiate it from the animated classic.
Disney’s biggest problem when it comes to their live-action remakes is being willing to take risks. Snow White is refreshing in that regard.
Rachel Zegler continues to grow her star power with her performance as Snow White. She is an incredible singer, and she gets to show that off more than ever in this role. Even Gal Gadot’s terrible performance is overshadowed by Zegler.
Grade: B-
Snow White will be released on March 21.
The post Snow White review: The fairest Disney live-action remake of them all appeared first on ClutchPoints.
