Over the weekend, I went to see the live-action “Snow White,” a retelling of Disney’s classic 1937 film.
With Rachel Zegler playing Snow White, Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, and Andrew Burnap as the reimagined “prince” from the original tale, the story was a good, reimagined story. “Snow White” follows a similar storyline to the original tale. Snow White is a princess growing up as kind, empathetic, and caring by the teachings of her mother and father.
She’s a dreamer with a big heart, often finding herself by the well in their garden. Her mother passes, and her widowed father goes on to marry the Evil Queen, who ultimately becomes a tyrant following the king’s demise.
Being a vain, selfish woman, the queen casts Snow White from her princess status to work as a maid, and the kingdom falls into disrepair. Like the original film, while Snow White is working as a maid, she meets her love interest. In the original film, he is a prince, often referred to as Florian by Disney princess fans, but in the retelling, he is a thief named Jonathan who claims to fight in the king’s name.
Unlike the love-at-first-sight story portrayed in the original film, Jonathan and Snow White have a bitter friend-to-love-type dynamic.
Their sarcasm and playful comments taunt each other and encourage each to be the best person they can be. It is a nice change that adds a depth to the prince from the original film.
The movie also gives Snow White a more proactive role. She actively fights with the thieves and puts herself between arguing dwarves. But while showing confidence and grit, she also maintains a kind and civil manner in handling things to keep her from feeling out of character from the original.
Snow White also shows more wariness and feeling toward the Evil Queen and the old woman who offers her the poisoned apple, which makes her feel a bit more real than the original.
While I heard some bad feedback about the music of the film prior to watching, I enjoyed the songs and pop music feel of the retelling.
It sets it apart from the classical tunes of the original film. I can agree, however, with criticism that to some extent Snow White “did not sound like herself” without the higher-pitched voice and birdsong tune she has become known for over the years.
Overall, this new “Snow White” is a nice watch for adults and children alike.
Out of ten, I would give it a nine for offering a retelling that creates more depth and character while also modernizing elements of the original film for younger audiences.