Title: Snow White
Cast: Rachel Zegler, Andrew Burnap, Gal Gadot
Director: Marc Webb
Where to watch: Theatres
Ratings: 2 stars
If you know Rachel Zegler from Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story,' you would vouch for the talented actor's stellar theratre background. She has the spring in her steps, naivety in her demeanour and that energy to sustain a musical. Watch her break into 'Waiting On A Wish' ballade and you will know the effortlessness she commands. So, witnessing her stretching into a laborious affair, that this outing is, is pain-inflicting.
The sleeping beauty be damned, here comes the Snowhite (not exactly fair as opposed to the mirror on the wall keeps reminding the sinister queen, and the audiences alike, certainly not in terms of the skin tone, but the the much-anticipated immersive world in which she is supposed to soak herself up). In comparison, with the endeavours such as Cruella, Beauty and The Beast or The Little Mermaid, for that matter, this Rachel Zeglar, Gal Gadot's film feels like a colossal disappointment. No, we are not going anywhere near the animation or the excitement of The Jungle book or The Lion King for that matter, but this Princess, truth be stated, stands pale in comparison.
Yes, you do expect the cruel queen, equipped with her magic mirror, the poisoned apple and the dwarfs. And who could one miss the iconic kiss of revival? You get it all! But then again, that's all you get! Which is an irony of the shakespearean proportion. Yes, unlike the immersive classical disney tales where you have the emotional chord struck with a relationship being built between the characters, this one looks like a mere proceeding, waiting to be finished quickly. The unfortunate reality is that, it ain't a breezy watch!
Director Marc Webb and cinematographer Mandy Walker give us a world that looks out of sync, incongruent and slightly hurried into. Gal Gadot's looks desperate in some scenes while in others, she looks cariacteurish, which is not exactly a bad thing to say, given the context and the contours of the screenplay, but hardly does she come across as menacing as she is meant to be.
What is equally questionable is the color palette used for the two different settings with the CGI employed here failing to go beyond the obvious. Adrew Burnap, the film's prince is underutilised and his thief backstory fails to hold. The seven dwarfs are intresting with their range as indeed with their vulnerability in terms of their placement and personality positioning. Their vertically challenged presence somehow dwarfs the protagonists on the forefront for the bunch dishes out some entertainment!
There are major subtexts to be decoded here about inclusivity and diversity, and the slant is obvious. Also, a remark or two on the true beauty is a must in a world where beauty standards of different kinds are highlighted. In all 'fairness' the princess remains dormant throughout the drama much like quest of story telling!
