Good movie but grossly overrated

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

The first must-see film of the year.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

First of all, I'm a fan of Sigourney Weaver, but even putting that prejudice aside and examining the film critically, I can honestly say that it was only her performance that saved this film. Snow White (Lilly) was frankly an annoying, wooden, two-dimensional character and I found myself genuinely hoping that Claudia (Sigourney Weaver) would succeed in destroying her.In fact, the only character really drawn with any care and attention is that of Claudia. I found myself believing that she'd been driven mad and to murder purely through the unpleasant behaviour of Lilly and therefore found her character to be realistic, sympathetic and attractive. All the other characters were ciphers: Sam Neil, who plays Lord Hoffman, barely had a role at all in the film; although it was a starring part, he played it very much like a tired cameo role in a B-movie.The film is apparently set at the time of the Crusades, but there were a terrible number of gaffes:Costumes ranged from 14th to 16th century and even early 17th century, whilst the furniture ranged mainly from 15th to 18th century.Mention was made of a globe showing the countries of the world, something impossible at a time when the flat-earth theory was firmly established science.Lilly somehow managed to pick an apple from an obvious oak tree near her mother's grave - and it was the ONLY apple visible - which made the entire scene rather forced and unnecessary.When Claudia told Dr. Guttenberg about the "disease" afflicting the servants, he said "The Black Death!", something which took place quite a while after the Crusades had been forgotten.Nevertheless, the film on the whole is fairly well-crafted, although very uneven in places. The castles and ruins used as backdrops were good choices, although not quite appropriate to the Crusades period, but that's probably just me being pedantic.I think that the true horror could have been wound up a few notches, since the film has an R rating anyway and is definitely not suitable for children. Otherwise, I found it an extremely entertaining film with plenty to engross one's attention.

I've had Snow White on the brain for a while now, with the coming out of TWO Snow White films and all (both of which were very disappointing btw), I've become nostalgic for this classic tale about a vindictive envious step-mother, a poisoned apple, 7 dwarfs, and a girl with lips red as blood, hair black as a raven, and skin as white as snow.Fortunately, this under-appreciated movie has almost ALL of those things all wrapped up in one. I'm not gonna giggle and tell you all that this isn't anything like the Disney movie like so many of other reviewers have said---mostly because that's gotten old now and it's stupid to sit their and smugly declare that this is no Disney movie when obviously it's most certainly NOT. This is a more adult and realistic approach on the Snow White tale but still has elements of the supernatural and magic."Snow White" is renamed Liliana Hoffman and she actually looks the part of someone with lips red as blood, hair black as ebony, and skin white as snow. The father (played by Sam Neill) has a bigger role in this version (albeit still small) and he's not a king but merely a Nobleman or Lord (whatever), and the 'evil queen' is named Claudia and is really a sympathetic but still rather vain and mentally unstable (played by the always fabulous Sigourney Weaver). The 'Prince Charming' is merely a young doctor who make look like a Prince and even act like one on most occasions, but he's not the one 'Snow White' rides off into the sunset with. The 'dwarves' are reduced to 6 bitter miners and 1 dwarf. The 'magic mirror' is really Claudia's reflection telling her to commit these atrocious things. The movie less childish and more realistic in which Liliana isn't all rainbows and butterflies and the step mother has just reasons to dislike her. The atmosphere, the architecture, the music, the lighting, the camera shots, the scenery, the costumes, ALL of it was just wonderful! What bothered me about this movie would have to be the use of American accents in what is clearly a film set in a European country (Germany I'm guessing?). They never really clarified where this movie takes place, but the American accents are distracting (one of the reviewers on here made a good point on how one of the miners sounds like he's from the Bronx). SMH. I would've preferred they speak in those annoying fake English accents rather than the American ones. I also had a hard time understanding how the miners so quickly changed their minds about Lili, at first they dislike her and mockingly call her 'Princess' and afterwords they mourn her 'death' and then praise her when she's revived. Perhaps if they had shown her saving one or more of them from certain death when Claudia was casting her spells, thus forming an alliance, and perhaps if they showed Lili grow from a privileged snob to an understanding, tolerant, down to earth girl then their change in attitudes towards each other would be more believable. I also think the surviving miners should've been at the final showdown at the Hoffman estate when Lili confronted Claudia, avenged their friends deaths and do something productive to redeem themselves.All in all, I loved this movie and would recommend it almost anyone. 8/10

Pure, lovely angelic innocent Lilliana's(Monica Keena, who exudes all the qualities of a live action Snow White, with her hair colored black for added effect) new stepmother, Lady Claudia(Sigourney Weaver) is secretly a witch who envies the bond she has with father Lord Friedrich(Sam Neill), her husband. Haunted by the memory of Friedrich's late wife Lady Lilliana, Claudia also must deal with the fact that Lilli favors her so. Coveting the baby in her belly, Claudia's mental state worsens when a stillbirth occurs after a negative reaction to Lilli who dresses in one of her mother's gowns taking the crowd's(..and Friedrich's specifically)attention during a ball. Claudia plots the murder of Lilli, asking for her mute magician brother Gustav(Miroslav Táborský) to cut the heart from Snow White's chest(..planning to use Lilli's "leftovers" for a feast). When that goes awry, and Lilli is separated from her home in the forest nearby, she falls into a hole leaving her lost as Gustav kills a pig pretending it's heart was hers. The rest of the film follows Lilli, far from home, as she finds herself in the company of foul, grubby men(..the seven dwarfs, except they aren't dwarfs..well there is one..and don't, at first, offer a very friendly welcoming committee)who were cast away from society, mining for gold. While Lilli finds herself falling in love with the brooding, emotionally..and facially..scarred member of the group, Will(Gil Bellows), Claudia uses forms of sorcery in the attempts to harm/endanger her.I found this grim, Gothic horror bliss. I was especially entertained at how the Castle Friedrich, for the first part of the film is bright with a warm atmosphere, and as Claudia begins to take over once her husband breaks his leg, the place becomes dark and foreboding. There's this cabinet that contains a magic mirror, perhaps a Satanic instrument, with this beautiful face representing a fake Claudia whose voice offers evil, manipulative advice for ways she could get her revenge and reap her (un)just rewards through acts of witchery. I particularly liked one sequence where Claudia casts spell on Lilli using a cute bird in an hourglass as the sand slowly buries it as we see an avalanche occur where Snow White and the miners seemed doomed. There's a raven Claudia uses as eyes, and a nifty scene where Gustav's hand opens a wound with a spider crawling out before he's paid back for his betrayal of his sister for not finishing the task asked of him. Weaver has a great scene, dressed as an old lady, where she manipulates Lilli into eating a poisoned apple. And, her dinner table scene, where she believes that the meal was made from Lilli's remains(..and she even takes a bite, with ecstasy glowing on her face, awaiting Friedrich's turn to eat)is deliciously wicked. And, there's this great scene where Claudia causes a windstorm by spinning in a hall with trees falling down nearly toppling Lilli and the men(..actually crushing one of them).Weaver might be cast against type but inhabits the role of Claudia, the witch, with relish, devouring the screen. And, I must admit, I found her striking in a seductive way in certain types of flowing gowns, with her overflowing hair. Sure, as the film continues, she grows more and more ugly, but despite inheriting the role of a witch she has these moments(..like when she has sex with a bedridden Friedrich she poisoned)where Weaver has never been more sexy on screen. Yet, Weaver always dominates the screen with this darkness and evil intent, always pursuing the death of innocence standing in her way. I had read that this film was sadistic and bloody, but it really isn't. The ending, Claudia's fate, is really the most violent of the film, and even that isn't THAT gruesome. I think the film's true success is how the film captures the mood and look of a Grimm fairy tale. I like how the film shifts from the ever-growing ominous nature of the castle as it shapes itself after Claudia, and the forest abode of the men and Lilli with such vibrant autumn colors. Kudos to the filmmakers and crew who created a horror film which can make gloom and doom look so fantastic.

A wealthy man (Sam Neill) remarries years after his first wife dies during childbirth. However, the new wife (Sigourney Weaver) despises her stepchild and the daughter (played by the lovely Monica Keena) is forced to flee into the woods where she befriends seven miners (not dwarfs). Will the stepmother get away with her wickedness? My friend Jason had been suggesting we watch this film for a while and I couldn't bring myself to do it. With the movie being based on Snow White and the silly cover photograph, this just didn't seem like a decent horror film. And I know Sam Neill makes some decent horror appearances, but Sigourney Weaver? Come on! Then when I saw Monica Keena was in it (who I know from "Dawson's Creek" but many horror fans will know her from "Freddy vs. Jason") I couldn't get the DVD in the slot fast enough.This film comes from director Michael Cohn, whom I've never heard of and I suspect neither have you. And despite his relative obscurity (ten years later and I still haven't seen anything else he's done) he can weave a very well-visualized tale. The man has a knack for the realm of fantasy.This really is the film's strength. We are treated to a land of fantasy with witches and magic mirrors, but there is no silliness about it. This is not a kid's tale like "Labrynth" or "The Dark Crystal", but something much more adult and terrifying. There is even a scene where -- dare I say it -- we get hints of rape.All the acting is strong, which should come as no surprise. Keena is great, and Sam Neill really cannot do a bad job acting even if he wanted to as far as I can tell. The effects were fine, the music was alright, and there was a scene where a horse did a back-flip, which was pretty intense. Don't be discouraged like I was about the title, this is a horror film worth seeing and a nice change of pace from the usual modern-day fare.