Upgraded ‘Snow White’ fails to surpass the original
It’s hard not to be cynical about Disney’s quest to convert its most successful animated films into live-action money grabs. And the long-gestating “Snow White” (it was shot three years ago) is no exception. Other than to smooth over the 1937 original’s racial and feminist faux pas with subtle doses of political correctness, it offers no reason to exist. But if we must be subjected to these unnecessary remakes, this one isn’t an entirely unpleasant experience.
It looks scrumptious, offers tasteful depictions of the Seven Dwarfs, and features an outstanding turn by “West Side Story’s” Rachel Zegler in the titular role. Yet, it remains a bit of a slog, at least for adults who know the Grimm Brothers’ tale by rote. Kids will likely eat it up, although there were a few restless tykes at the screening I attended. For the most part, though, you could do a lot worse.
For this, all kudos go to Marc Webb, whose song-and-dance sensibilities (see “(500) Days of Summer”) are perfectly matched to the task of bringing “Snow White” into the “real” world. He stages the musical numbers with aplomb, particularly the two holdovers from the original, “Whistle While You Work” and “Heigh-Ho.” Even the handful of new tunes penned by Oscar winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are rendered less blah due to Webb and the composers’ “La La Land” collaborator, choreographer extraordinaire Mandy Moore.
They furnish everything Zegler and her Tony-winning co-star, Andrew Burnap, need to bestow charm on a film brimming with superb CGI work overseen by production designer Kave Quinn. From enchanted forests to grand castles, his sets feel real and lived in. But his best work is reserved for his depiction of the Seven Dwarfs. They may have been dropped from the movie’s title, but they are front and center here, stealing every scene they’re in, especially the adorably shy – no, not Bashful (voice of Tituss Burgess) – but Dopey (voice of Andrew Barth Feldman), who turns out to be anything but. Webb shrewdly makes the most of the latter’s highly expressive face (think Alfred E. Neuman) and oversized ears.
As Doc, Jeremy Swift (“Ted Lasso”) also proves memorable, but the rest of his brethren – Martin Klebba as Grumpy, Jason Kravits as Sneezy, George Salazar as Happy and Andy Grotelueschen as Sleepy – barely register. No matter, it’s Zegler and Gal Gadot as Snow White’s evil stepmother you come to see. Both bring their A-game, with Gadot demonstrating a most impressive vocal range. Who knew Wonder Woman could sing?
She also concocts a mean poisoned apple, designed to slay Snow, the reigning “fairest of them all.” Well, that’s according to the infamous Magic Mirror, who’d be wise to keep his pronouncements to himself and thus save Snow’s villagers a lot of dystopian misery. But speak, he must – when asked. And the Evil Queen has been doing a lot of asking of late, as Snow rises in the public opinion polls, winning favor with not just Burnap’s thieving outlaw, Jonathan, but also the Queen’s Huntsman (Ansu Kabia), who dares defy his mistress by refusing to cut out Snow’s heart and place it in a box.
Sounds chilling, but alas it’s disappointingly subdued at times. For all that Webb brings to the table, conviction is conspicuously lacking, as evidenced by his tendency to pull punches when it comes to daggers thrusting, arrows slinging and fisticuffs. He’ll walk you right up to the act but then draw his characters back before blood is spilled. Gotta preserve that PG rating, you know.
That’s nitpicking, I suppose, but like a lot in this “Snow White,” the goal to remain PC is apparent, never referring to the Dwarfs as, well, dwarfs; and the potato-pilfering Jonathan having to earn his Prince Charming certifieds before claiming his royal title. Thankfully, that’s not the case with the Evil Queen, who is as vile as ever, and Gadot is having a ball executing the dastardly deeds writer Erin Cressida Wilson (“Secretary,” “The Girl on the Train”) has presented her with.
Wilson arguably wasn’t the best choice for adapting Ted Sears’ original script. She’s much too faithful to the fundamentals, afraid to genuinely shake things up. Making the heroine more progressive and more in charge of her destiny just isn’t enough to justify remaking a classic as beloved as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” It borders on sacrilege. But if we must have an evolution of a character more than 200 years after the Grimms conceived her, I guess this is the best we could have anticipated. At least no one will be offended. Or so Disney hopes.
Movie review
Snow White
Rated: PG for thematic elements, some peril, brief rude humor and violence
Cast: Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot and Andrew Burnap
Director: Marc Webb
Writer: Erin Cressida Wilson
Runtime: 109 minutes
Where: In theaters March 21
Grade: B-
