The Huntsman: Winter's War
Director: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
Year Released: 2016
Rating: 1.0
Ice Queen Freya (Emily Blunt), after her baby is killed and her lover leaves her, flees her land and starts her own kingdom outlawing love in any form (really, lady, you have to get over it) ... stuck in the middle of this is huntsman Eric (Chris Hemsworth) and huntswoman Sara (Jessica Chastain), who are caught having "feelings" for each other (and immediately separated). Not only does the plot bear close resemblance to Disney's animated (and wildly over-praised) blockbuster Frozen, the mood never rises to elation: it's a thoroughly murky effort, lacking in energy (the Hemsworth-Chastain relationship is superficial), only becoming mildly entertaining in the last act when Blunt and Charlize Theron, as the resurrected Ravenna (who pops out of a golden mirror, you see), get snippy and try to murder each other. The script (featuring a mash-up of characters from different stories) may be a wreck (did you know it's both a "sequel" and a "prequel"? how was that supposed to work?), but the sharp CGI is a positive element.
