Snow White is certainly a movie. Rachel Zegler proves what a talent she is, nailing every song with her beautiful voice, but that’s the only good part.
The Disney live-action remakes have always been hit or miss for me – and mostly miss, but I went into Snow White with an open mind. This has been a PR nightmare for the studio for many reasons, and unfortunately, it is not good enough to lay all those complaints to rest.
The movie itself tries to add more to the story of Snow White and usher it into modern times with themes of standing up against oppressors and taking back what is rightfully yours. It adds more to the romance between Snow White and the prince (who isn’t a prince this time around), thankfully making him not a man who just kisses her dead body in the forest.
Rachel Zegler Deserves Better
Rachel Zegler, unsurprisingly, is by far the best part of this movie. Love her or hate her, you have to admit she has an incredible singing voice. I have always been a proponent of separating people from their art, and I hope that audiences do that here because Zegler deserves the world in terms of acting roles (or at least better than this).
She nails every song, right from the start. Whenever she opened her mouth I got chills, even if the lyrics weren’t great and the new songs were forgettable. I do appreciate how the classic music was incorporated, but overall, none of these songs are anything special – but a handful of the musical performances are at least fun to watch.
Gal Gadot Is In A Completely Different Movie
One of my biggest gripes with the entire movie is Gal Gadot’s Evil Queen. She looks great, don’t get me wrong. Her dresses are beautiful and her makeup is on point, but she feels as if she is in a completely different movie. She plays this as over-the-top and campy yet the rest of Snow White takes itself very, very seriously.
Somehow her song is my daughter’s favorite – which is understandable, it’s catchy and was absolutely made to hook the younger generation – but it isn’t good. The performance is fun, I suppose, but the singing itself is lacking. Gadot was not meant to carry an entire song, I am sorry, but that is the truth. Whoever forced her to do this did not have her best interest in mind. That’s for sure.
The “Dwarfs” Are Nightmare Fuel…
The first time we see the “dwarfs” is during the Hiegh-Ho performance. This is meant to be a fun introduction to these seven characters, which includes a fun nod to Disney Parks, but I spent almost the whole song laughing with my friends because they look so ridiculous.
Unfortunately, they never stop looking ridiculous. I was hoping I would get used to them but they are creepy, CG nightmare fuel that looks extremely out of place next to humans. I will never understand Disney’s decision to go this route.
Another gripe with these “dwarfs” is that they aren’t that at all. I understand that the studio was trying to be politically correct here, but they never say the word – which is fine – and then they describe them as magical creatures who have lived for hundreds of years in the forest, never fully explaining how or why. This is a plot point that should have been more fleshed out if they were going to include it.
…But At Least The Animals Are Cute
In regards to the animals, which you need a lot of on screen to tell the story of Snow White, they are cute and adorable. Disney opted to make them more cartoony than realistic, which actually works. They are cute and fluffy with big eyes that make you go “awww” when you see them.
This Movie Is More Tangled Than Snow White
The Snow White story itself has been changed drastically. The original is from 1937 so I understand needing to update some things, but so much of what the classic animated film is is removed from this live-action version. Honestly, it felt more like Tangled, which has me intrigued by what they will do if they bring that film to live-action.
What annoyed me the most about these changes is the random addition of bandits (again, this is Tangled) and the fact that the way she gets the apple is almost completely different except for Gadot’s terrifying CGI transition to an old woman.
Andrew Burnap does what he can with the character of Jonathan, and I did find him charming at times. But it seemed more like an audition for Flynn Rider than anything else.
I do like that there is now an established relationship between the two much like Disney added into the live-action The Little Mermaid. We now have a reason to believe that these two at least like each other for their personalities and not simply their looks.
Overall Thoughts On Disney’s Snow White Live-Action Remake
Overall there wasn’t much to like about Snow White. The ending comes out of nowhere, feeling shoe-horned in. It is almost laughable what happens to the Evil Queen as it feels completely out of place. Gadot is in a completely different movie, but hey, at least she seems to be having fun.
Rachel Zegler tries to do what she can to save this movie with her angelic voice and earnest performance, but she doesn’t succeed.
The “dwarfs” simply do not look good as CG characters, a choice I will never understand. They repeatedly took me out of the film to the point where I found myself laughing at times. One big decision revolving around Dopey is near blasphemy and left many people in my theater upset.
All of this to say, my twelve-year-old daughter was sitting next to me and she rather enjoyed the movie. She laughed at the “dwarfs”, calling them terrifying, but she actually enjoyed the songs and musical performances and even teared up at one point.
Considering that she is the target audience, maybe Snow White will work for some. Decide for yourself when it comes to theaters on March 21.
NEXT: O’Dessa Review: Like Nothing You Have Ever Seen Before
About Snow White
Disney’s Snow White is a live-action musical reimagining of the classic 1937 film. Starring Rachel Zegler (“West Side Story”) in the title role and Gal Gadot (“Wonder Woman”) as her Stepmother, the Evil Queen, the magical music adventure journeys back to the timeless story with beloved characters Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy.
Snow White opens in theaters on March 21.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.
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