Last night I finally made it to see Snow White and the Huntsman. I've been wanting to see it forever simply because I want to support a movie with two female leads. I actually rather enjoyed it, with a few odd moments in plot flow or weird acting, but it's to be expected.
In terms of the content of the movie, there were parts that I hated and parts that I loved. Let's get the negative stuff out of the way first:
1. The movie supposes that two powerful female leaders cannot possibly coexist.
2. Both women are unfathomably beautiful, and that's partially why they have so much power in the first place.
3. Snow White, while fairly independent, is still surrounded by capable men who help her out a lot. I have definite issues with delivering a message like that, but I also think it's important to support movies with women leads in them despite that - we've got to start somewhere, and can't expect perfection immediately.
The good stuff:
1. Beauty is not the most important thing about yourself - if you focus on it too much it will destroy you.
2. Value must be placed in other people's character and not their physical appearance.
3. Ultimately, femininity comes down to spirit and personal values rather than physical appearance.
I saw it yesterday and am still thinking about the complexity of feminist and feminine themes the movie addresses, so I suppose that's a sign of a movie worth watching. Check it out! And remember that you vote with your dollars - if you want to see more movies with women leads, then go see the ones already out with female leads.
