Review - Snow White (2025)

       Well, here we are. Snow White, the latest film from Disney to reimagine one of their animated classics, was directed by Marc Webb, written by Erin Cressida Wilson, and stars Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, Andrew Burnap, and Ansu Kabia, with motion capture performances by Martin Klebba, Jeremy Swift, George Salazar, and Titus Burgess just to name a few. 

      So, the movie tells the story of Snow White, a princess who goes on the run when, after consulting with the Spirit of the Magic Mirror, the Evil Queen grows jealous of her innermost radiance and wants her dead. Snow White meets and befriends several woodland critters, as well as the Seven Dwarfs (Doc, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, Dopey, and Grumpy), and a young man named Jonathan, who leads a group of bandits, and she works with them to save her kingdom from the rule of the Evil Queen. 

      Okay, so the myriad of controversies surrounding this movie are well documented, ranging from Disney's tiptoeing around issues regarding the Dwarfs, all the way to the issues made public online by Internet grifters and their parrots about Rachel Zegler's appearances in the media, and her back-and-forth opinions on this movie and the animated original. Personally, I absolutely don't care about any of that, as I will always leave preconceptions of a movie at the door and go into the movie with a completely open mind. I'm surprised no one else has the sense to do this, as it's the only way to genuinely enjoy life. 

      So, where do I stand now that I have actually seen this new Snow White movie? Well, I can honestly say that this movie is a flawed but fun time for families, especially those with younger children. The writing is far from perfect, and more often plays it too safe in trying to maintain accuracy to the 1937 classic. HOWEVER, the new elements the movie adds in do, more often than not, compliment the elements retained from the 1937 classic. 

        The performances were, for the most part, pretty good. Rachel Zegler absolutely dazzles as Snow White, with genuine grace and elegance. And, while I do think that her hairstyle in the movie could have been more complimentary to her facial features, Rachel does truly embody all of the key characteristics of Snow White as a character: kindness, fairness, bravery, and so forth. Likewise, Andrew Burnap as Jonathan is a genuine delight, coming off as a overconfident goof in a manner similar to more recent Disney heroes like Flynn Rider and Kristoff. And, the romance between Snow White and Jonathan is one that builds over the course of the movie, and therefore feels more natural. 

        Now, while I enjoyed Gal Gadot's overall look as the Evil Queen, her performance was a bit all over the place. Yes, she was vain, cruel, and somewhat heartless. HOWEVER, her transformation into the Old Hag was pretty underwhelming. ALSO, she did NOT need a villain song. Now, I enjoy a good Disney villain song as much as anybody, but not EVERY Disney villain needs one. And, the Evil Queen's villain song was absolutely unnecessary. 

         Speaking of the songs, aside from the returning songs like "Whistle While You Work" and "Heigh-Ho," and the one GOOD new song in this movie "Waiting on a Wish," the songs in this movie by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul feel less like Disney music and more like the kind of songs that Pasek and Paul wrote for The Greatest Showman. And, while THOSE songs were at least catchy and fun, the songs here just feel par for the course and unmemorable. 

       Lastly, I want to get into the visual effects, which were certainly a mixed bag. While I certainly enjoyed the visual effects in the forest, and with the woodland creatures, and I thought the diamond mine looked really cool, the visual effects for the seven dwarfs just looked jarring and off-putting, and their interactions with the human cast certainly gives a feeling of the uncanny valley. And, this is where I wish that Disney and director Marc Webb just ignored the online chatter and cast ACTUAL actors with dwarfism in this movie. 

       Overall, while I certainly enjoyed this movie, and I think that younger children will certainly have a good enough time with this, it's far from perfect. Is it one of the WORST of these Disney reimaginings? No. Is it on the same level as the 2015 version of Cinderella or even the 2017 version of Beauty and the Beast? Also, no. BUT, it's still decent enough to watch when it comes to Disney+. So, do I recommend this movie? Only as a streaming watch on Disney+, but not necessarily in the theater. 

       Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys in the next review.