SIP Movie Review Blog

 So this is not your momma's version of Snow White.  Oh, we still have SW, played by Lily Collins (Blind Side, Priest), who is sort of imprisoned; we have a handsome prince, Arnie Hammer (Social Network, J. Edgar); an evil queen, Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich, Notting Hill); the Queen's helper, Nathan Lane (The Producers, Mouse Hunt); and a full set of dwarfs.  SW dad is the king (Sean Bean) who has been killed in the dark forest, so Julia Roberts has taken over the kingdom.  She has run though all the money, raised taxes a ton on the poor townspeople.  She is not well liked, to say the least.

Arnie comes through the forest, a prince who is looking for a princess to ask for her hand.  The dwarfs attack him, he is found and rescued, taken to the Queen.   Now, about those dwarfs.  They wear stilts, so they look like they are 10' tall.  They are a feisty lot, can shoot an arrow with the best, and rule the forest, except for the beast, more about the beast later. 

SW runs away, into the forest, where she is taken prisoner by the dwarfs.  They plan on keeping her to do the cooking, etc, at least until Arnie comes through, attempts to save her.  Lots of fighting, SW proves her ability when she takes on the Prince.  The dwarfs decide to move to an easier target, hold up Nathan Lane who is taking the Queen's taxes back to the castle.  Take the taxes, end up giving it back to the townspeople, they become heroes.  Several scenes later, we see Julia Roberts has a special mirror.  She can move about in another world, even control some items as she wishes.  Hence the evil label.  So she puts together a couple of puppets, attacks the dwarfs, to take back the taxes, and get rid of SW, who is actually prettier than the Queen.

Some good animation, good fighting, with the dwarfs coming out on top.  So Julia summons the Beast.  The beast is sort of like a dragon, but faster, and meaner.  It goes after SW and the Prince and the dwarfs, it takes them all on.  So the movie takes an unusual turn here, won't go farther, it is just an unusual turn.  Glad we saw it, would have been OK as a TV movie, or on DVD.  OK for kids, if over 7 or so, some pretty graphic scenes with the beast.  Give it 2.5 poisoned apples.