The Huntsman: Winter’s War ** ½

Dir:  Cedric Nicolas-Troyan

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, Nick Frost, Rob Brydon, Sheridan Smith

The best thing you could really say about 2012’s Snow White And The Huntsman was that it was better than Mirror Mirror, the rival version of the Snow White fable that came out the same year. It was bearable but a bit dour (Kristen Stewart as the titular princess still carrying over her sulky demeanour from the Twilight franchise) - though a scenery chewing Charlize Theron did enliven things up a bit – and suffered from some jerky storytelling. However, it did make enough money that a sequel was all but guaranteed even when the burgeoning franchise lost its director and leading lady when their affair became public.

The sequel is somewhat shorter, somewhat lighter and breezier, somewhat more action-oriented but it still suffers from an erratic narrative and uneven direction (debutant director Nicolas-Troyan was the visual effects supervisor of the first film). The plot also has numerous holes in it and the movie has to do some fancy side-stepping to explain Kristen Stewart’s absence, the return of Charlize Theron’s wicked step-mother, Ravenna (she had met her end in the first movie) and just glosses over any inconsistencies from the earlier film.

It also serves as both a prequel and a sequel to Snow White, telling us how Ravenna became queen and then what happened after she died and Snow White became the ruler of the kingdom. It also brings in Ravenna’s sister, Freya (Emily Blunt) – obviously, the stupendous success of Disney’s Frozen meant that the makers of this film just couldn’t let it go and had to bring in an ice queen - as well as the Huntsman’s (Chris Hemsworth) significant other, Sara (Jessica Chastain). With her red hair, Scottish brogue and archery skills, Sara also owes more than a passing nod to another Disney princess, Merida (from Brave) and Chastain does give her life (despite a somewhat dodgy accent) and proves to be pretty good at the action stuff. The rest of the cast also does what it can with the material it is given - Theron can do "evil" and deliciously ham it up with the best of them, Hemsworth has the roguish warrior bit down pat, and Blunt provides a cool foil to Theron and comic relief (particularly Sheridan Smith as Bromwyn) is provided by the Huntsman’s dwarf companions – but they really could have done with a better script.

The Huntsman: Winter’s War really isn’t any worse than its predecessor but it isn’t much better either. The sequel really needed to jump to the next level if it was to prove to be a springboard for a viable franchise. That it just does not do. It’s time to bring an end to this particular fairy-tale.

Cut to chase: Breezier than the first film but not necessarily much better.

 

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 ***

Dir:  Kirk Jones

Starring: Nia Vardalos, Lainie Kazan, Andrea Martin, Michael Constantine, John Corbett, Elena Kamouris

If you loved the first film - a global smash – then you’ll probably, at least, like this one. Even if the emphasis moves somewhat away from our heroine Toula (Nia Vardalos, who also wrote the script) and her husband, Ian (John Corbett) and more towards the rest of Toula’s rambunctious and interfering but, ultimately, lovable Greek family, many of the same ingredients that powered the first film are present here, including the humour and the message of the importance of family. The jokes may not come quite as quickly and may not land as precisely (some of the humour is decidedly forced) but they do elicit smiles and the movie may not be telling us anything really new but it still goes down easy enough.

In that sense, the sequel is like fast food. Predictable but comfortable and it does the job - kind of. And, at least, the wedding this time around isn’t quite the one you may have expected even if you don’t quite buy the plot device that sets it into motion.

Cut to chase: Predictable but fun enough.

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Twitter: @KhusroMumtaz

* Not on your life ** Hardly worth the bother **  ½ Okay for a slow afternoon only *** Good enough for a look see ***½ Recommended viewing **** Don’t miss it **** ½ Almost perfect ***** Perfection