Review: ‘Snow White’ is a Dud of a Remake with No Imagination

Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all? It’s a question that’s been asked for over two centuries in various iterations of the Snow White story, beginning with an 1812 German fairy tale and popularized in the classic 1937 animated film. This is a story that’s been told countless times and, in a world dominated by remakes and reboots, has already produced multiple live-action editions this century, including Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman. Do we really need another version? Disney’s newest blockbuster, simply titled Snow White, doesn’t make a particularly compelling case for its existence.

Snow White (Rachel Zegler) is raised by a loving and magnanimous father and mother, who rule as king and queen over a joyous population. When her mother dies, her father meets the enchanting Evil Queen (Gal Gadot), who soon convinces the king to ride off to war and takes power for herself. Imprisoned in the castle by her stepmother, Snow White longs to see the outside world. When the Queen’s magic mirror tells her that she is no longer the most beautiful woman in the kingdom, she plots to kill Snow White, sending her into the woods on what becomes an adventure of self-discovery.

In today’s day and age, audiences have come to expect modern modifications to established stories. Those are actually quite hard to find here, with the most glaring change being the removal of a prince character and his replacement with Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), a thief living in the forest who meets Snow White while he’s stealing food from the castle. It’s an adjustment that doesn’t change much since the core of the story is left much the same, and any opportunity for a fresh spin on this oft-told tale is abandoned for the sake of a large-scale production that feels uneven and overstuffed.

Fans of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul will recognize the familiar beats of their songs, highlighted by “Waiting on a Wish,” which is the musical – and overall – highlight of this film. One other song sung together by Zegler and Burnap stands out, but otherwise the new music, including “All is Fair,” performed by Gadot, isn’t particularly memorable. The musical cues in general feel jolting and sudden, with rhythm conspicuously absent from scene to scene. They’re numbers that might have played better on stage, with the ensemble stopping, short of breath, as if to wait for applause before each subsequent scene begins, shifting to an entirely different mood that requires immersion into something else entirely and just doesn’t land the same way in a movie theater.

Zegler got her big break playing Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, and while that film was a perfect fit for her talents, this one simply showcases her overacting. Her facial expressions and visible enthusiasm contrast sharply with a weak script and the other events going on around her, and she’s at her best when she’s singing. Gadot, more than capable of carrying a film as proven by Wonder Woman, does her best with a thinly-written villain but also falls flat, adding little to a classic character with limitless potential. While Jonathan doesn’t serve much purpose in the story, Burnap is a welcome addition thanks to his Broadway chops and appropriate embrace of the campy nature of his character.

This reimagining of a story everyone knows lacks imagination, essentially translating a solid text with the least possible creativity and depth. The decision to have the seven dwarves played by actors who don’t have dwarfism is a true question mark, especially since their CGI looks don’t match anything else in the film (and it doesn’t speak to contemporary notions of representation). The production and costume design are nothing to write home about, which is a true disappointment given the possibilities presented by a magical forest and kingdom. Audiences looking for a satisfying live-action remake of an animated film should instead consider Kay Cannon’s 2021 version of Cinderella, and those looking for stronger songs from Pasek and Paul might benefit from rewatching The Greatest Showman. This film, unfortunately, really doesn’t have much to offer.

Movie Rating: 4/10