It’s 2025 and Disney hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down their output of live-action remakes. Occasionally they’ll strike gold, but most of the time we’re left with mediocrity. Now we get to re-live Snow White, the classic tale of the titular princess (Rachel Zegler) and her feud with the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot).
This film didn’t have the greatest reception leading up to it and stumbled at the box office. Whether that be the fault of the marketing team or a specific actor talking too much is up for interpretation, but either way I went into this without an ounce of excitement. While it’s not an unforgiveable cinematic crime, it’s also far from a good film. It has its issues and areas that hold it back, but it also has a few redeemable qualities that I feel people won’t mention when talking about it. For one, the narrative is simple and straightforward given it’s an adaptation of a 1937 classic. Yes, there’s differences in character motivations, an expanded backstory and minor changes here and there, but the gist of the story is maintained. It’s short, sweet and doesn’t waste time padding out the runtime to over 2 hours, but that doesn’t mean it’s particularly fun. It’s easy to get through and mildly pleasing at times, but that’s about as good as it gets. The story, while fine, doesn’t offer much to get excited about. There’s no sequence in the movie that’s particularly memorable and nothing that stands out as being a highlight – the whole thing is pretty flat considering it’s based on a timeless classic.
Part of the issue with stripping away the animation is that much of the cuteness, charm and magic is also stripped from it. It’s a story that benefited from the beauty of the original’s animation, and here it’s lost. The one magical element that is still present is that of the dwarfs. There was much debate about whether the dwarfs should be played by actors or fully CGI, and I believe the correct choice was made. The CGI allows the fairytale charm of the characters to shine through, and that leads to the moments I enjoyed the most. If they were played by real people, they’d have felt indifferent to every other actor. This way they feel like fairytale characters, however it points out an issue with the rest of the film – that fun, fairytale element is completely absent. Despite being a live action remake, that feeling shouldn’t be abandoned, but it is.
While Snow White’s arc is fine, the Evil Queen is forgettable and Jonathan (Andrew Burnap) and his crew fail to make an impact, it’s the dwarfs who contribute the only enjoyable beats. Their unique, quirky personalities shine through and breathe some life into an otherwise lifeless narrative. They’re responsible for the only mildly comedic moments and I’d say the only reason to go ahead and see the film. Gal Gadot’s Evil Queen is a failure of a villain. She’s not menacing in the way you’d be afraid of her and she’s not interesting in the way you’d understand where she’s coming from. I believe it’s a combination of the writing and Gadot’s performance, one which is far from compelling or convincing.
There’s an issue of casting impacting this whole film – no one in here really embodies their respective character or brings their qualities to life. Rachel Zegler doesn’t bring much charm or charisma to the role, leading to a protagonist who can’t carry her own film. She’s not bad as Snow White – her delivery is fine – it’s just that there’s no vibrance or intrigue to the character. She also lacks chemistry with Andrew Burnap, which results in their eventual connection feeling empty and forced. To put it simply, the performances behind the main three characters don’t hit their marks, and the writing of said characters is also lacking. When you put those together, it makes sense why it’s hard to get into the film.
It should also be pointed out that this film is a musical. There’s a few new songs to accompany the returning tunes, but almost none of the music makes a memorable impact. The trailer song “Waiting on a Wish” is the only new addition that’s actually good, while the rest I forgot immediately after hearing them. The main returning songs like “Heigh-Ho” provide a bit of familiar fun, but also aren’t too memorable in here.
In the end, Snow White isn’t the worst of Disney’s live action adaptations, but it’s certainly far from making an impact as one of the best. The narrative is very barebones and moves smoothly through its uncomplicated character arcs, but at the same time doesn’t challenge itself in any way. The characters are uninteresting save for the occasional fun moments surrounding the dwarfs. The dwarfs inject some magic into the story, but it’s not enough to create an entertaining ride. If you were thinking of checking this out, you’re better off just rewatching the 88 year old classic.
5/10
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