Snow White and the Huntsman

How many adaptations of Snow White in a single year. 2 already. Mirror Mirror and now Snow White and the Huntsman. And news is that Disney is already planning a re-mastered release of the original animation this year. Technically, Mirror Mirror released last year world over and came into this country a wee bit later. So I guess it is one adaptation a year. The good news though is that all of them have been really well made and distinctly different from the other. Not just for getting news bites which say, “We have a different take on Snow White” but a serious attempt at differentiation.

Snow White and the Huntsman, is my first experience with a version of the fairy tale which is distinctly action oriented and not soppy fairy tale types. It begins with the story of Ravenna (Charlize Theron) who is saved by the king and taken back home to be the queen. But little does the king know that he is adding to the list of Ravenna’s victims to date. Ravenna’s desire to stay young forever drives her to move from kingdom to kingdom and she uses her power and magic to suck the youth out of young girls at frequent intervals. She takes over from the king and jails his daughter Snow White.

Many years later, when Snow White turns 18 and the mirror has to inform Ravenna that she is not the fairest anymore, Ravenna sends her brother to get Snow White. However Snow White escapes into the Dark Forest where Ravenna’s powers are useless. So she sends a desperate huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) after her by promising him a life time of joy and happiness by bringing his wife back to life. And so the chase begins.

This time around, the emphasis on the dwarves is very minimal. Although we have the likes of Ian McShane and Bob Hoskins playing them, their part is restricted to less than 25% of the movie. There are other aspects such as the sinister nature of the Dark Forest and the village of women who have scarred themselves in an attempt to stay alive have been given a lot of screen time.

And that’s what makes this version very watchable to say the least. Add to these twists, a finale that has an amazing set of special effects. Actually made me wonder why this was never released in 3D in India. Would have been brilliant. Something that debutante director Rupert Sanders missed out on I guess. And surprisingly too. Because he had only Charlize Theron to play with in the cast – who was brilliant as Ravenna – but the rest of the lead cast with the insipid Kirstin Stewart and plastic Chris Hemsworth gave him nothing much to play with. As such, it didn’t matter because the movie was well made and entertaining for certain. 6 on 10 and worth a dekko I say.

Trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2494275609/

The Adventures of Tintin - The Secret of The Unicorn

The ever revered and loved Herge (may his soul rest in peace) had once gone on record to state that if there was anyone who could have made Tintin into a movie it would have been Steven Spielberg. Now why would anyone else not dare to challenge this statement? To figure out the answer to this conundrum, you will not have a choice but to watch the movie. It is only Spielberg who can do justice to an enigma that has regaled us for over 8 decades now. A fantasy, that has transformed every child’s ambition at sometime or the other from wanting to become a pilot or a businessman or a doctor or an engineer to just that of an investigative journalist. A cult classic that has been enjoyed by even those who have crossed the half century mark in terms of years walked on earth. A phenomenon that took the world by storm in 1929 and has truly stood the test of time. On a different note, only Tintin could have inspired Spielberg to make his first animation movie. Spielberg was meant for Tintin and Tintin (the movie) was meant to be made by Spielberg and no one else.

For those who have not had the good fortune of being Tintin slaves, I can only quote the term, “deprived children”. Do take this opportunity to read The Secret of The Unicorn before you watch this movie because it personifies another term that expresses the desire of any book lover (comic or otherwise) – being true to the book. Spielberg has turned every single window from the comic book into a frame and not left anything to chance. Every single detail has been brought to life and that would hearten both the Tintin maniac or otherwise alike.

John Williams start to the movie with the jazzy tune does remind you a bit of “Catch Me If You Can” (DiCaprio, Walken) but I don’t think it could have been done better than what you hear. The soundtrack is simply stunning and one track is aptly titled “Loch Lemond” (visit any of the Tintin fan sites to research this piece of trivia). I could not resist smiling when I read this in the credits.

The casting is picture perfect. Jamie Bell is superb with the voice of Tintin but the highlight to me was Andy Serkis as Captain Haddock and Daniel Craig as Red Rackham.

What catches your eye immediately after the titling are the blue grey eyes of Tintin. Herge would have been thrilled to bits (and I would be putting this mildly) with the idea of the simple dots being replaced with “eyes”. The attention to detail is stunning – including the simplest of details like the anchor on Captain Haddocks jaded blue sweater. And yes, one cannot help but wait for the “Billions of Blue Blistering Barnacles” and “Thousands of Thundering Typhoons”. If it would get a tear to your eye – fear not my fellow Tintin Crazy Fan because it is indeed worth shedding a tear on.

The trailer calls it - A Race against Evil. A World Beyond Imagination. An Adventure beyond belief. I don’t think words would do this masterpiece any justice. It hurts me to say this but my lead runner for this year’s Oscars in the animation category, Cars 2, has just found itself some really stiff competition. It would break my heart to see Cars lose out yet again but Spielberg has given the jury enough to chew about. I give this 8.5 on 10. I leave the judgement to you as to which one was better.

One last point - This is the first Hollywood movie to be premiered in India.  Over the world, it is releasing only Christmas Day.  Rocking I Say!!!!!!

Trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2415828505/