Read Mixed User Reviews for The Huntsman: Winter's War

5

Mazmorrero47Apr 22, 2016

Even though it's a considerable improvement over the mediocre Snow White and the Huntsman, The Huntsman: Winter's War doesn't exactly manage to set the world on fire. Some parts are a slog to sit through, but it has some beautiful imagery andEven though it's a considerable improvement over the mediocre Snow White and the Huntsman, The Huntsman: Winter's War doesn't exactly manage to set the world on fire. Some parts are a slog to sit through, but it has some beautiful imagery and nice action that makes it fairly entertaining for most of its runtime. Keeping in mind that it's not telling a very thought-provoking and nuanced story, it takes itself a few notches too seriously (it looked more fun in the trailers).

Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron (who is criminally underused) are a lot of fun, but Emily Blunt and Jessica Chastain couldn't get rid of their "just give me my paycheck already" faces. It's funny how Blunt plays essentially a female Kylo Ren: a spoiled brat that had a bad day at school and now behaves like an emo jerk towards everyone around her because of it.

It's a decent watch to keep you distracted until Captain America: Civil War comes out, but not a must-see for theaters.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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5

BrianMcCriticAug 23, 2016

Not a completely horrible movie, but pretty much unneeded. I thought the film had its moments that worked with some decent action scenes. In the end though the film left me kind of hollow. C

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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5

michael1208Apr 23, 2016

Not sure whether Universal Pictures is desperate to repeat their box office dominating success as in 2015, this prequel/ sequel to 2012's Snow White and the Huntsman feels to be pointless, uneven and unnecessary. The film does not learn fromNot sure whether Universal Pictures is desperate to repeat their box office dominating success as in 2015, this prequel/ sequel to 2012's Snow White and the Huntsman feels to be pointless, uneven and unnecessary. The film does not learn from the mistakes of its predecessor especially in term of pacing that is two times much slower for the entire first hour, fills with relentless cheesy and humorless dialogues, irrelevant romantic scenes, then immediately rushes into short and unimpressive climax. It gathers a great cast, Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen looks tremendous with her outstanding performance but unexpectedly limited by screen time; Emily Blunt is cool as the Ice Queen while the chemistry between Chris Hemsworth and Jessica Chastain is dull due to the main theme about love and betrayal is poorly crafted into this clumsily-penned fantasy tale. Overall, it is an easily forgotten sequel that has totally wasted the talents of its cast, lacks of moral satisfaction and seems to be an empty lackluster concept of Frozen - Lord of the Rings combination that clearly should have "let it go" at the first place.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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4

GyrushoMay 25, 2016

Hard movie to dive into. Something with a Witch, a beautiful white haired Lady and a mirror. Oh, have i not seen this before..? Yes. The plot is thin and the story is not very appealing. At least we have Emily Blunt, Charlize Theron and ChrisHard movie to dive into. Something with a Witch, a beautiful white haired Lady and a mirror. Oh, have i not seen this before..? Yes. The plot is thin and the story is not very appealing. At least we have Emily Blunt, Charlize Theron and Chris here to accompany me on this Long sit. I'd give this movie an extra star for the twist which was given to the plot which was a "Oh, Cool", but nothing special. The movie did contain good acting and you i really enjoyed the part where you could dive into the minds of the two male dwarfs. The story was a bit strange as i could not differ the events from what happened since this was both a prequel and sequel in one movie. Would not walk away but nothing special!… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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4

DemoraseApr 25, 2016

I enjoyed the first half hour or so because it was just about the two sisters and Emily Blunt and Charlize Theron had a very good chemistry together, but then the movie got progressively worse and worse and worse.
This movie should have beenI enjoyed the first half hour or so because it was just about the two sisters and Emily Blunt and Charlize Theron had a very good chemistry together, but then the movie got progressively worse and worse and worse.
This movie should have been just Winter's War and it would have been great, the huntsman part was boring and lazy, they just wanted to shoehorn Hemsworth in the movie and his character wasn't interesting at all.

Theron's character has a line near the end of the movie where she says something like "you wasted all your potential" and ironically it pretty much sums up this mess of a prequel/sequel/spin-off movie.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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6

horcrux2007Apr 26, 2016

I typically don't see a movie solely for its cast, but I couldn't pass up a movie with Jessica Chastain, Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt and Chris Hemsworth. Winter's War certainly isn't the best thing these actors have done in their careers,I typically don't see a movie solely for its cast, but I couldn't pass up a movie with Jessica Chastain, Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt and Chris Hemsworth. Winter's War certainly isn't the best thing these actors have done in their careers, but it's still a fairly entertaining twist on the Snow White tale. The Huntsman acts as a prequel and sequel to 2012's Snow White and the Huntsman, which I regrettably hadn't seen before I watched this, and it follows an escalating battle between the Ice Queen, Freya, and her sister, Ravenna. Freya's former Huntsman, Eric and, fellow warrior, Sara, who were raised to protect Freya, have to conceal their forbidden love while combat Ravenna's intentions to take back Snow White's kingdom. Despite the campy writing and plot inconsistencies, I still found quite a bit to enjoy about Winter's War. Watching Charlize Theron be a badass as the Evil Queen was ridiculously entertaining. There's also the beautiful cinematography, costumes, visual effects and *ahem* Chris Hemsworth that made the movie visually stunning. The campy writing also isn't so bad that it goes into cheese territory. It's fairly self aware and fun while not taking itself overly seriously. The plot is a bit more of a fantasy romance with some action in it, but Jessica Chastain and Chris Hemsworth give their characters some life so that you do want to see them succeed by the time the movie is over. The Huntsman: Winter's War is fairly slight entertainment, but it's got a great cast, characters, stunning visuals and a lot of fun.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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4

MrMovieBuffApr 22, 2016

'The Huntsman: Winter's War' is a sequel...or a prequel...or a spin-off to 'Snow White and the Huntsman' (2012), a film that was generally seen as "Okay" by a lot of movie-goers, and somehow, the studio thought it was popular enough to get a'The Huntsman: Winter's War' is a sequel...or a prequel...or a spin-off to 'Snow White and the Huntsman' (2012), a film that was generally seen as "Okay" by a lot of movie-goers, and somehow, the studio thought it was popular enough to get a sequel...or a prequel...or a spin-off. I honestly do not know what kind of a continuation this is supposed to be...

Charlize Theron is back as the evil Queen Ravenna, and as always, she looks stunning, her presence can sometimes up-stage her acting. We find out she has a younger sister named Freya (Emily Blunt) who, after something tragic happens to her, she becomes "The Ice Queen", and runs away in exile in order for her to cast icy spells. No, I am not explaining the plot of 'Frozen' (2013), although, it does seem like that's what this movie is trying to be. Clearly, the studio wants what Disney had with that success.

Chris Hemsworth returns as the Huntsman, and we can see from a young age, that Freya has taken a number of children and has ordered for them to work for her. He is infatuated with a woman named Sara (Jessica Chastain), who is a warrior, but little do they know that Freya, who was completely devoid of happiness in her life, has forbade love in her territory...

What is shocking (or, maybe not so shocking) about this movie was how lifeless it is, it's almost as if David Yates (director of the last four "Harry Potter" films) teamed with producer Peter Jackson (of "The Lord of the Rings") to do a live-action remake of Disney's 'Frozen' (2013), and not only did they make it darker and not include any of the musical numbers, but just took away all the fun and energy that the animated film had.

Emily Blunt, a talented actress (and if you don't believe me, watch her in 'Sicario' and tell me otherwise), is very stiff in her role of Freya, there is no dimension to her character, she is just supposed to have an evil presence. It is clear that the writers (Evan Spiliotopoulos and Craig Mazin) must have seen Disney's 2013 animated hit, and decided to use that as a template, for making the Ice Queen character sympathetic, but unlike the character Elsa, Freya lacks likeability and range. There is almost no emotional investment whatsoever.

The special effects in this film look terrific, but that is never enough to save a film's bland personality. There is also no Kristen Stewart, you'd think replacing her with Emily Blunt and Jessica Chastain would make it better, but it did the complete opposite of that.

I could go on about how this film sucked the joy out of everything, but I would go on for five more paragraphs. This isn't the worst movie of 2016, just a forgettable one, if you want my advice, just go and watch 'Frozen' (2013) again, it's a better movie anyway than this bland wreck of a picture.… Expand

3 of 7 users found this helpful34

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4

TheQuietGamerOct 12, 2016

If this sequel has one thing going for it, it's that there is much more optimistic than it's predecessor. The tone isn't as bleak and everything isn't so moody. It actually has some fun with itself this time around and is a pinch betterIf this sequel has one thing going for it, it's that there is much more optimistic than it's predecessor. The tone isn't as bleak and everything isn't so moody. It actually has some fun with itself this time around and is a pinch better because of it.

However, it's greatest strength ends up being it's greatest downfall as well. This is just too silly too take seriously. The result is a goofy Lord of the Rings wannabe. At least the dwarves are funny.

Watching Chastain and Hemsworth go up against these implausible odds makes no sense. Especially when the latter fails to come off as a highly trained warrior and moves through the events like bumbling buffoon. How they actually managed to come out on top in the end is baffling. Oh wait, love is what got them through it.

The movie is constantly spouting off the same generic message that love conquers all. Expect to hear a lot of dialog about how love is pointless and only leads to hurt in the end, only to have Hemsworth be like "no, love is great and will help us defeat the evil!" The movie even goes as far as to have main baddie Emily Blunt ban love from her kingdom. Seriously, the movie actually has an evil queen that makes love illegal. Wow. This is seriously aimed at adults?

Holding this all together is the totally cliché romance between Chastain and Hemsworth. It's the kind of love where the sexual tension comes from Chastain constantly holding weapons to Hemsworth's throat, and then having him manhandle her on the ground. Romance.

Really, the whole thing is predictable. We've seen all these plot elements before. At least the cast is committed and hey, there is some pretty solid action and flashy visuals to add some sort of entertainment to things. None of that makes for a good movie though. In the end, this is just bad fantasy.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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6

LeZeeSep 29, 2016

The Huntsman and his romance caught between the two evil sisters.

This is a sequel as well as a prequel to the 2012 film 'Snow White and Huntsman'. It opened with the earlier story where and how the Huntsman grew up, especially the journeyThe Huntsman and his romance caught between the two evil sisters.

This is a sequel as well as a prequel to the 2012 film 'Snow White and Huntsman'. It opened with the earlier story where and how the Huntsman grew up, especially the journey of his innocent childhood to a great fighter that covers in the first half an hour. And then it skips for about 7 years where the original film takes place, but immediately begins where it had ended in the first half, as well as the first film. Actually, not a bad film as I have heard of it, but same as the previous film that stands just above the average and slightly loses some decibel rating.

The actors were good though. Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain and Charlize Theron, wow, super hot women, but sadly they are in fairytale costume. Their performances were great, but the characters, particularly the two sisters resemble the 'Frozen's Anna and Elsa. You can feel how desperate was the filmmakers to avoid such comparisons by viewers, so they developed the story very far from any string attached to that famous animation. In the end these things are unavoidable, since the story is not fresh enough to claim its independent status.

Chris Hemsworth was okay, I hope he won't return for the third film. It is a decent watch, and I think it will remain as an duology, for right now it seems a good idea. The problem is it was being made a dark-fantasy to appeal the grown ups, particularly men. But it should have been a children's film where adults too can enjoy like the Disney's 'Maleficent'. Except the opening the rest of the story seemed very ordinary. Though the action sequences were enjoyable and so the film with a low expectation, or the purpose of the watch is the timepass.

6/10… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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4

Pamuditha007Aug 7, 2016

Below average movie ... the first movie in the series, Snow White and the Huntsman was, in my opinion, the better movie ... anyhow the first thing that came to my mind when watching this is ...what is Thor doing in Ice Queen's palace :P haha

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6

TVJerryApr 28, 2016

This sequel starts with Charlize Theron's evil queen and her sis Emily Blunt, who also becomes wicked after a life-changing incident. Off she goes to create her own "Frozen" land, where she kidnaps children and raises them as the titularThis sequel starts with Charlize Theron's evil queen and her sis Emily Blunt, who also becomes wicked after a life-changing incident. Off she goes to create her own "Frozen" land, where she kidnaps children and raises them as the titular fighters (including Chris Hemsworth and Jessica Chastain). Between forbidden love and the missing magic mirror, there's a fairy tale in the form of a mild adventure. While the plot and dialogue are humdrum, the visuals are quite lovely. Mystical creatures, appealing effects and Coleen Atwood's fabulous dresses. The fights are mostly a blur and the action is limited, but Zthe fantasy elements make this a passable effort.… Expand