There has been plenty of controversy surrounding this movie. Whether it's the use of CGI to recreate the dwarfs, the protagonist making outrageous allegations, the change in release dates, or the horrible casting where they made Gal Gadot the evil stepmother, there has been no lack of commentary. In what world is Gal Gadot not more beautiful than anybody else? Come on! She is Wonder Woman! Several outlets are rating this movie as unwatchable, yet I wanted to see it for myself and make my own judgment. If you had asked me which Disney princess I identify with, I would say Belle, Jasmine, or even Rapunzel, but never Snow White. She was always a very one-dimensional character; she was young, sang about a prince, was kind, and ate an apple. No real personality there, not enough of a backstory. I can say now that this new Rachel-Zegler-version of Snow White is more relatable than it has ever been. Spoiler alerts incoming!

I heard people arguing this story completely destroys the original plot, but then I asked myself, which original plot? The PG poorly summarized version of it? Snow White is a story that dates back centuries, and over time, the story has evolved many times. So, this are a few of the differences I observe. 

1. We get to know Snow White a little better, as well as her parents. Previously, I didn't know much about them either. In this version, we learn about the princess's education, the values she was raised with, and the kind of ruler her father was, all of which add to the story. 

2. We get a more detailed story about how the evil witch became Queen and how her evil tactics turned the kingdom's peaceful citizens into soldiers. 

3. The prince is not a prince, it is a peasant, a common thief, he does kiss her and wake her up from that poisonous apple curse, but beyond that, he fights along side Snow White, so he doesn't "save her" as much as they save the kingdom together. 

Zegler is a great singer; we saw that in "West Side Story," and she accurately captured the spirit of this princess. Gadot is, in my opinion, not evil enough; she tries, but fails to be scary and menacing, in my opinion. Besides the acting, the use of colour (or the lack of it) plays a crucial part in this movie's aesthetic, and I enjoyed watching the transitions. They still manage to keep some of the original score from the cartoon version, which older generations can appreciate. I enjoyed this movie, it brought new life to a very bland character. Still I wouldn't have chosen that cast to begin with. Sadly, all this controversy has tarnished what could have been a great real-life princess movie. As we move forward, we also have to take into consideration, stories like this, they have been passed on from the generation to generation and they have evolved or morphed, and it is ok to change the message, it is ok to make the story richer, as long as the main characters stay true to their essence and the target audience is considered. In this case, I much enjoyed this movie compared to the overly prolongued version of "The Little Mermaid". I also thought the qualities that Snow White is pursuing encourage new generations of girls to be more the protagonist of their life, less of a damsel in distress: be fearless, fair, brave, and true. I give it a "theatre-worthy" rating. Go watch it, see for yourself.

Rating:

OMG, so good!

It will be part of my collection!

Theatre worthy

The popcorn was the best part

Is this for real?

So bad is not even funny