Mirror vs. Huntsman: Which Adaptation is the Fairest of them All?

In the year 2012 there was not one but two adaptations of the classic fairy tale Snow White released in theaters and on DVD. Mirror Mirror directed by Tarsem Singh was in theaters March 30^th 2012 and on DVD June 26^th 2012. This adaptation was very family friendly and had a very light and comical feel to it. Snow White and the Huntsman directed by Rupert Sanders was released to theaters June 1^st 2012 and to DVD September 11^th 2012. This adaptation was MUCH darker than its competing adaptation and was geared towards an older audience. After watching both movies, I have come to the conclusion that they are pretty good. I feel like both directors did exactly what they set out to do and brought what they thought of the classic fairytale to life. But in the end, when it comes to which adaptation was closest to the actual book I would have to say they are both on the same level. Each movie only used key elements of the fairytale to build off of and create their own story.

            When most people think of Snow White they think of the Disney movie adaptation they came out in 1937 and not the actual story written by the Brothers Grimm. This movie adaptation the closest movie adaptation I have seen of this story but Disney just spiced it up to make it more “magical” and “G” rated. In the story written by the Brothers Grimm, there are four elements that I have never seen in a movie adaptation of Snow White.

1)   In the story after the Huntsman brings the Evil Queen the fake heart that is not Snow Whites the Queen proceeds to eat the heart.

2)   The queen disguises herself three times to try to kill Snow White. The first time she tries to kill her my strangling her with lace, the second time with a poison comb and the third time with the legendary poison apple.

3)   The BIGGEST thing that has NEVER been mentioned in a movie adaptation of Snow White is that there is no magical kiss that breaks a spell! The kiss was just something Disney started with their adaptation and other people copied. In the book the Prince and his servants were simply carrying Snow Whites coffin home to his castle when they stumbled over a tree stump and the piece of the apple that Snow White ate fell out of her mouth and she came back to life.

4)   Last but not least the Evil Queen died of a heart attack after seeing that Snow White was still alive.

No adaptation of this classic fairytale has been exact. Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman do, in the end, follow elements of the original story. Keep in mind these elements mainly consist of story characters and a piece of fruit.

Photo Credit: Relativity Media

            In Mirror Mirror, Snow White was portrayed by actress Lilly Collins. In Snow White and the Huntsman Snow White was played by Twilight star Kristen Stewart. Both actresses looked exactly as Snow White has been described with hair black as ebony, lips red as blood and skin white as snow. If I had to choose in the end who portrayed the fairest of them all best, I would have to go with Lilly Collins’ performance. Collins portrayed the sweet princess who would cook and clean for the dwarfs with ease. She brought my original vision of Snow White in my head to life. Stewart’s performance wasn’t as sweet. Keep in mind in Snow White and the Huntsman Snow White was busy being a martyr to cook and clean for dwarfs. I just felt like in the end Stewarts acting wasn’t very convincing. I felt like her character was very whiney. I do have to give Stewart one thing though; she can do a pretty nice British accent.

           

            The dwarfs were portrayed differently in each adaptation. In Snow White and the Huntsman, it didn’t focus too much on the dwarfs themselves. I felt like most of the time the dwarfs were just there. By the looks of it Rupert Sanders was focusing more of the camera time on Snow White and the Huntsman instead of the dwarfs, which is completely understandable in this movie’s case. In Mirror Mirror each dwarf had his own personality. I personally enjoyed watching the dwarfs more in this movie then Snow White and the Huntsman. Every dwarf had something for the viewer would remember them by that wasn’t something cheesy such as naming them after something they do a lot such as Sneezy or Sleepy.  

            Each prince in the movie was completely different. In Mirror Mirror Prince Alcott was played by Armie Hammer. Hammer’s version of the prince was a sweet but at times cocky prince from a far away land who gradually falls in love with Snow White throughout the film. In Snow White and the Huntsman the prince’s name is William who is played by Sam Claflin. Claflin’s version of the prince was a prince who grew up with Snow White and was her best friend until the Evil Queen took over her father’s kingdom. I enjoyed watching both actors portray their versions of the prince in their respective movies. The original book doesn’t talk much about the prince himself so it was nice to see them give the character more depth. In the end if I had to choose between the two, I would choose Claflin’s performance. I feel like Claflin’s performance showed so much more depth to the prince’s relations to Snow White.

           

            The Huntsman was another character who was not talked about much but portrayed well in Snow White and the Huntsman. Chris Hemsworth showed a side of the simple character that no one else had ever seen before. Mirror Mirrors rendition of the Huntsman pales in comparison not only because Hemsworth’s acting was excellent, but also because there was no huntsman in Mirror Mirror. Instead of hiring a huntsman to kill Snow White, the Queen gets one of her servants to take Snow White out to the forest for to feed her to some beast.

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

            Any story or movie is not complete without the villain or, in this case, an evil queen. Charlize Theron played Queen Ravenna in Snow White and the Huntsman and did an absolutely amazing job. For the first time ever I found myself actually wanting to cheer for the villain while watching a movie. Theron embodied an beautiful queen that could become terrifying without warning. Her performance was very believable and was beautifully done. In Mirror Mirror the legendary Julia Roberts played the queen. Roberts’ version of the queen has a much more comical approach. Roberts’ performance may have made me giggle a couple times but it is not how I imagined the queen or have ever seen the queen in any other adaptation. I admire that is a different take on the queen but at the same time I feel like this side of the queen didn’t make me fear her. In the end I thought of her more like a shrew then a villain. When it comes to who I thought played the role of the queen best I would have to say Charlize Theron hands down.

Photo Credit: Relativity Media

            The settings in each movie were very well done. None of them really related to the setting in the book, but movie-wise they were great to watch. In Mirror Mirror the forest looked like your average forest. The only thing scary in it is the beast. One thing I liked about the setting in Mirror Mirror is that it was a winter setting with snow. It wasn’t snowing in the book or anything but I personally liked the effect the snow gave the film and it seemed suitable for the movie. In Snow White and the Huntsman the setting was much darker. The queen’s castle and the dark forest just radiated evil. The look gave the film a much more serious approach.

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

            In my opinion, Snow White and the Huntsman probably had the best special effects between the two movies. The creatures of the dark forest and the queen’s magic mirror looked amazing! Mirror Mirror’s special effects were decent in the end. 

            In conclusion, I feel like both of the movies were overall enjoyable in the end. Not completely accurate to the original fairytale, but still enjoyable. The thing about these two movies is, although they are based on the same book, they each have their own genres. Snow White and the Huntsman is more action, suspense, a little bit of romance and still a fantasy. Mirror Mirror is more of a comedy and romance with very little action and still a fantasy. So in the end this is the type of audience I suggest for each movie.

Snow White and the Huntsman: Teenagers ages 15 and up.

Mirror Mirror: Family movie for children and parents.

What did you think of Snow White and The Huntsman or Mirror Mirror? Let us know….

Written by Marcie Culbert