As a lifelong admirer of fairy tales, witnessing Disney's live-action remake of "Snow White" was always on my bucket list. But let's find out whether that desire turned into a beautiful dream or just a nightmare. Directed by Marc Webb and featuring Rachel Zegler as Snow White and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, the film endeavours to modernize the beloved 1937 animated classic. Ever since the film's release, it has been marred with controversies.
Watch the trailer here:
Critical Reception:
The film has received mixed reviews. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian criticized it as "exhaustingly awful," citing "tiresome pseudo-progressive additions" and describing the performances of Zegler and Gadot as "the dullest of their lives."
Conversely, Nell Minow of RogerEbert.com acknowledged the challenges of updating the story for contemporary audiences, noting:
While some elements work better than Others, None of them have the sweetness and imagination of the animated feature.
Box Office Performance
Financially, the film has underperformed. With a production budget exceeding $270 million, it garnered only $88 million globally during its opening weekend.
Controversies:
The film has been surrounded by controversies, particularly regarding casting choices and narrative changes. The selection of Rachel Zegler, a mixed-ethnicity actress, as Snow White sparked debates about representation and fidelity to the original character. Additionally, the depiction of the seven dwarfs using CGI, rather than casting actors with dwarfism, drew criticism from various quarters.
Personal Reflection
As a member of the audience, I was eager to see how Disney would reimagine a story that had been a cornerstone of my childhood, but the film severely disappointed me. While the musical numbers and visual spectacle were impressive, the film's failure to craft a strong and unified story left me disappointed. The contemporary reinterpretations were more akin to impositions than natural evolutions of the cherished story.
The contemporary reinterpretations were more akin to impositions than natural evolutions of the cherished story. This experience makes me reflect on the difficulties involved in reimagining familiar tales for modern-day audiences. While innovation is paramount, it should be coupled with a great respect for the original material and an awareness of what made the original work for people. In this case, that was not possible, and what we ended up with was a film that, though it was pretty, was unable to preserve the magic and soul of its forebear.
Hmm