By Ashley Wilcom
On March 21st, Disney released its latest live-action remake, reimagining their princess classic, “Snow White.” The film has garnered mixed reactions and reviews. It was a lofty undertaking by Disney, plagued by rumors of several script doctors, reshoots, and tension between its two leads, Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot. Unfortunately, the film does not capture the original’s magic — a feat that should not rest on Rachel Zegler’s shoulders.
Zegler’s performance as the titular Snow White is the highlight of the film and remains one of the only elements keeping this lackluster reimagining afloat.
The casting of Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen is equally as baffling as her performance. Gadot’s portrayal is stilted and hammy in all the wrong ways, and so painful to watch at times that it borders on parody. Her vocal chops leave much to be desired, especially when paired next to Zegler, who has some of the best pipes within her generation of actors.
Whenever Zegler is on screen and we are free from Gadot’s perplexing line deliveries that involve lots of misplaced shouting, the film is able to breathe a breath of fresh air. Zegler effortlessly captures the innocence and kindness famously associated with the character of Snow White. This role solidifies Zegler as a powerhouse in the making.
Instead of Snow White falling for Prince Florian, like in the original animated film, her love interest is reworked to be a common thief named Jonathan. Andrew Burnap’s depiction of Jonathan is snarky, opinionated, and overall a pleasure to watch.
Burnap and Zegler are phenomenal scene partners who feed off each other’s energy, making it much easier to root for their romance. In contrast to the animated classic where Prince Florian is more of a bland stand-in character, Jonathan has motivations and a personality. He becomes someone the audience can root for. Burnap and Zegler’s chemistry together is possibly the last saving grace of this film.
The costuming and mise-en-scène of this live-action adaptation are misfires on nearly all fronts. Snow White’s famous dress is ill-fitting and comes across as made of cheap fabric, making Zegler appear to be dressing up for Halloween in a Wal-Mart Snow White costume just pulled off the rack. Her hair is styled in a flipped under bob that is entirely unflattering to her angular jaw and facial structure, and the only instance it looks its best is when it is damp and untamed after a horseback ride that leaves her rolling around in the woods.
With a ballooning budget of 209 million dollars, it is unthinkable that seemingly not much care was given to styling their titular character.
When leaving the theater, I was struck by one question: What is the purpose of these live-action remakes? Pessimistically, they’re clearly easy cash-grabs for Disney that don’t need investment or development into original ideas that can be viewed as risks. However, if risk has been taken out of the equation for artistic expression, what is the point of producing art at all?
There was no need for this film to exist. While it may not be the worst Disney live-action remake seen in the last few years, it definitely doesn’t fulfill its argument for existence. This film will surely be forgotten as time passes and will only be referred to as a fun fact regarding Zegler’s body of work as she continues to solidify herself as a rising star.
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