Critics give mixed reaction to Snow White, calling remake ‘awful and enchanting’
By Charlotte McLaughlin, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter
Reviews of the live-action remake of Snow White have ranged from “exhaustingly awful” to “enchantingly refreshed”.
The Disney movie, a remake of the popular 1930s animated film Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, stars American actress Rachel Zegler as the titular princess, and has faced controversy almost since being announced.
Some reviewers gave the remake one star, but both the BBC and The Telegraph awarded the movie three stars, with The Metro going further with a four star rating.
When Zegler, 23, who is from a Latina background, was cast as a character described as having a complexion “as white as snow”, there was a backlash on social media.
Game Of Thrones star Peter Dinklage, who has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia, criticised Disney, calling it a “backwards story of the seven dwarves living in the cave” on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast.
At the Guardian, Peter Bradshaw called it an “exhaustingly awful reboot”, criticising the decision to axe “the prince”, who was replaced by a character called Jonathan, played by American actor Andrew Burnap, and make seven supernatural creatures with CGI.
Giving it one star, he claimed Disney were “all too obviously agonising and backlash-second-guessing”, while needing to keep the brand identity of the princess in a yellow frock with puffy shoulders, and Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen with a “pointy dark crown and skull-hugging black balaclava”.
He said the CGI dwarfs are duplicated, as Jonathan, a Robin Hood-esque character, has his “own gang of seven live-action bandits, in which people with dwarfism are represented”.
“This fudged, pseudo-progressive approach is so tiring you’ll want to put your head in your hands,” he added.
Kevin Maher at the Times also gave it one star, saying Disney has “trashed its crown jewel and its reputation”.
He said it was “a new low for cultural desecration”, and the studio “infantilises global audiences with sanctimonious life lessons”.
However, the Metro’s Tori Brazier praised the movie, calling it “surprisingly one of its (Disney’s) strongest and most worthwhile ‘reimaginings’ to date”.
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She said West Side Story actress “Zegler once again proves herself an enchanting talent with a voice to match, carefully avoiding falling into twee territory as the original Disney princess”, and “Gadot is clearly enjoying herself in the role of an iconic camp villain”.
BBC critic Nicholas Barber said the “story is cluttered, the tone is muddled, and the pacing is off”, but that “doesn’t make the film a disaster”.
“In some ways, the identity crisis is what makes it worth seeing,” he added.
“But this muddled production will be enjoyed more by politics and cinema students than by children who are hoping to be enchanted by Disney magic.”
The Telegraph’s Robbie Collin said that it was not “too woke – and better than” the hit musical Wicked, the prequel reimagining of the film and book The Wizard Of Oz, that was one of the biggest blockbusters last year, and earned 10 Oscar nods, winning two.
He also said “there’s no real subversion or ‘girl-bossing’ for the sake of it in Disney’s live-action remake”.
After Dinklage’s remarks, Disney said it was consulting members of the dwarfism community to “avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film”.
The use of CGI for the miners by Disney has prompted criticism from some other actors with dwarfism.
The film has had small-scale premieres in Los Angeles and Spain, with few press opportunities,
Snow White will be released on Friday in Irish cinemas.