Snow White and the Huntsman

While in South Carolina recently, I slipped away from the family early on a Sunday to catch the first showing of Snow White and the Huntsman.  My expectations weren't high regarding some of the titular-lead acting because, frankly, I don't feel Kristen Stewart has the chops to do much more than act as the demure damsel in distress with occasional forays into scrunchy-faced displeasure.  I also honestly didn't feel this would ruin the movie since the former is often how the character is portrayed in other works using this source material.  I wasn't wrong.

What I most enjoyed, of course, were the setting elements, the creatures as well as the environments.  There are a number of times that the Queen summons some "shard" monsters, the troll under the bridge is given an excellent look if somewhat surprising turn, the dwarves are all fun and funky, each with his own character, and the forest is without a doubt handled in a way that, if transferred to a tabletop roleplaying setting, would fascinate and frighten the bejeezus out of players (particularly the portions after the mushroom spores explode!).  If you haven't or aren't planning to see this in the theatre, you'll definitely miss some of the impact of these features but seeing it on DVD when it comes along is a must for Game Masters of fantasy RPGs.