Snow White and the Huntsman
Snow White (Kristen Stewart) is the princess of Tabor, daughter of King Magnus (Noah Huntley) and Queen Eleanor (Liberty Ross). After his wife's death, King Magnus marries the beautiful Ravenna (Charlize Theron) after rescuing her from the Dark Army, an invading force of glass soldiers. Ravenna who is in fact a powerful sorceress and the Dark Army's master kills Magnus on their wedding night after noting that men like him exploit the beauty of women and discard them. As Ravenna seizes control of the kingdom, Duke Hammond (Vincent Regan) escapes the Castle with his son William, but is unable to save Snow White who is captured by Ravenna's brother Finn (Sam Spruell). Snow White is then locked away in a tower of the Castle.
Tabor is left in ruins under Ravenna's rule as she periodically drains the youth from young women in order to maintain a spell once cast by her mother which allows her to keep her beauty. When Snow White comes of age, Ravenna learns from her Magic Mirror (Christopher Obi Ogugua) that Snow White is destined to destroy her unless Ravenna consumes the young girl's heart which will make her immortal. Ravenna orders Finn to bring her Snow White but she escapes into the Dark Forest, where Ravenna has no power. Eric the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth), a drunken widower who has survived the Dark Forest, is brought to Ravenna who orders him to lead Finn in pursuit of Snow White. In exchange she promises to revive his deceased wife Sarah. Duke Hammond learns that Snow White is alive and has fled into the Dark Forest, and his son William (Sam Claflin), Snow White's childhood friend, later infiltrates Finn's band as a bowman to find her.
The Huntsman locates Snow White in the Dark Forest, but Finn admits that Ravenna cannot resurrect the dead. The Huntsman then helps Snow White to escape, promising to escort her to Duke Hammond's Castle in exchange for a reward of gold. The two leave the Dark Forest, crossing a bridge where a troll resides. He's big & mean & ugly, but Snow White is able to calm him...this is an indication of things to come. they come across a fishing village where all the women have disfigured themselves in order to escape Ravenna, and where he learns Snow White's true identity. They are taken in, but he then leaves her in the care of the women, saying she's better off without him; he returns when he sees the village being attacked & burned by Finn's men. Snow White and the Huntsman escape w/ the blessings of the women of the village & eventually come upon a band of dwarves, formed by Muir (Bob Hoskins), Beith (Ian McShane), Gort (Ray Winstone), Coll (Toby Jones), Duir (Eddie Marsan), Quert (Johnny Harris), Nion (Nick Frost), and Gus (Brian Gleeson). Muir discovers Snow White's identity as the only person who can defeat Ravenna and end her reign.
As they travel through a faerie sanctuary, snow white's importance in the scheme of things becomes more apparent. When she follows some faeries thru the woods, she comes across a magnificent white stag, who blesses her, according to Muir, who also says she is life itself & will heal the kingdom. Suddenly an arrow pierces the stag's side & the group is attacked by Finn's men, resulting in Gus's death when he jumps in front of Snow White to prevent an arrow from hitting her. The Huntsman kills Finn after learning he abetted in the murder of his wife Sarah; this has a negative effect on Ravenna. William reveals himself and helps defeat the soldiers before joining the others in their journey to Hammond's castle.
Ravenna disguises herself as William and tempts Snow White into eating a poisoned apple (& why is there snow all of a sudden?), but is forced to flee as a cloud of ravens when the Huntsman and William discover her. The ravens return to Tabor thru a hole in the roof, falling dead to the floor, while Ravenna evolves from the black ooze. William kisses the now comatose Snow White without seeing that a single tear has fallen. Her corpse is taken to Hammond's Castle. As she lies in repose, the Huntsman professes his love and regret for not saving Snow White who reminds him of his wife and kisses her, breaking the spell as she awakens after a second tear falls. Snow White gives a rousing speech in the keep, then takes command of the Duke's army and leads them into battle against Ravenna. We see Ravenna hale & young again amid a litter of dead women...obviously, her cure works.
As the army approaches the castle, the defenders let loose a volley of flaming balls, while the Dwarves infiltrate Tabor through the sewers & skulk around inside the keep, disabling guards & gaining entry to the gate mechanism, thus allowing the Duke's army to invade the Castle. Snow White makes her way to the top of the castle tower & confronts Ravenna, just as William, the huntsman & the duke's soldiers arrive. Ravenna causes the ceiling in the hall over the soldiers to turn into shards of sharp, black glass. The soldiers use their shields to keep from getting cut to ribbons, but the shards form into fighting monsters. While the soldiers are thus occupied, Snow fights the queen, who overpowers her. She is prepared to kill Snow and consume her heart when, using a move the huntsman taught her, Snow White stabs her in the heart instead, causing Ravenna to wither and die. Hammond's army is victorious. Snow White is crowned Queen as the kingdom is restored. Many poignant looks ensue between her & the huntsman...hmmm
