Rated PG-13 for fantasy action violence and some sensuality.
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Jessica Chastain, Emily Blunt and Charlize Theron
Directed by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
It’s rare for a sequel to be better than the original…but this one was.
The fantastical world of Snow White and the Huntsman expands to reveal how the fates of The Huntsman and Queen Ravenna are deeply and dangerously intertwined. Long before the evil Queen Ravenna (Theron) was thought vanquished by Snow White’s blade, she watched silently as her sister, Freya (Blunt), suffered a heartbreaking betrayal and fled their kingdom. With Freya’s ability to freeze any enemy, the young ice queen has spent decades in a remote wintry palace raising a legion of deadly huntsmen—including Eric (Hemsworth) and warrior Sara (Chastain)—only to find that her prized two defied her one demand: Forever harden your hearts to love.
When Freya learns of her sister’s demise, she summons her remaining soldiers to bring the Magic Mirror home to the only sorceress left who can harness its power. But once she discovers Ravenna can be resurrected from its golden depths, the wicked sisters threaten this enchanted land with twice the darkest force it’s ever seen. Now, their amassing army shall prove undefeatable…unless the banished huntsmen who broke their queen’s cardinal rule can fight their way back to one another.
Given how virtually nobody on earth was hanging out for a sequel to the 2012 Snow White origin story Snow White and the Huntsman, it’s amazing that this sequel (actually a prequel) is so entertaining.
Chris Hemsworth is back as the Huntsman and Charlize Theron is doing that Evil Queen thing that she does so well. There’s no sign of Kristen Stewart returning as Snow White, which is a major plus. Instead we get Jessica Chastain as a feisty warrior and Emily Blunt as the Evil Queen’s sister, who has the power to turn things into ice. Think a bizarro version of Disney’s Frozen.
In fact, Huntsman 2 is basically a good old fashioned fairy tale that get a little gritty complete with magic spells, enchanted forests, sword fights and monsters.
Director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan did the visual effects for the first film, for which he was Oscar-nominated, and was second unit director on Maleficent. He certainly brings his mastery of special effects here. There is an incredible scene where the evil queen morphs from an ooze of liquid gold. It really is very cool.
Not the best movie I’ve seen this year (or even this month), but it’s worth a “Rental.”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Like Snow White and the Huntsman, this film is a dark and violent story with a lot of death and mature themes. There is one brief sex scene between a married couple, but nothing is shown. The profanity is mild. Some of the film can be very frightening.
CONVERSATION STARTER:
- Why is Queen Freya so angry?
- How does her anger manifest itself?
- What does it look like when you get angry?
- According to this passage, how should we deal with anger?
Read Ephesians 4:26-27
And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
Jonathan McKee
Jonathan McKee is the author of over twenty books including the brand new The Guy's Guide to FOUR BATTLES Every Young Man Must Face; The Teen’s Guide to Social Media & Mobile Devices; If I Had a Parenting Do Over; and the Amazon Best Seller - The Guy's Guide to God, Girls and the Phone in Your Pocket. He speaks to parents and leaders worldwide, all while providing free resources for youth workers on TheSource4YM.com. Jonathan, his wife Lori, and their three kids live in California.