So, it's been a while since I've seen this movie so this might not be all that accurate, but who cares? I watched this movie when it first came out because while the first one wasn't all that brilliant Charlize Theron was a treasure and it seemed like she'd be in it a lot. And she did return. For the last ten minutes. Maybe twenty. It seemed as though the focus would be on the Ice Queen and Ravenna a lot more than it was at the end, most of the story was about the Huntsman and his wife, a story arc that was completely uninteresting. The wife had no real character to speak of and was relatively two-dimensional. You couldn't have completely taken out of the story, I'll admit that, because she did have to be there for at least a few plot points, but there were a lot of scenes where they just walked around and nothing really seemed to happen. It worked in LOTR. It didn't work in this movie. The Ice Queen was also pretty boring, with barely anything to do. The only thing interesting about this movie was every scene with Charlize Theron, which were preciously rare. The relationship between the Ice Queen and Ravenna, the twisted sisterhood would have been interesting to see developed, as well as Ravenna's transformation from a strange but human witch to a strange human/witch/mirror hybrid. The final action scene did have some interesting things but it was sad to see this powerful Ice Queen be defeated by her sister so quickly, only for a human to defeat her. He's a badass but you'd still think the other woman with powers would do more. It seemed wrong to have one of the most powerful characters suddenly take a back seat, espescially since I doubt this would've happened had it been an Ice King.Sadly, I'm probably still gonna watch it if there's ever another movie with Charlize Theron in this franchise.

THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER'S WAR is a belated sequel to SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, thankfully ditching Kristen Stewart's character (yay!) and focusing instead on Chris Hemsworth's dashing but one-note hero. This is one of those stories that serves as both prequel and sequel, but in the main it turns out to be a mish-mash of genre tropes and themes utilised better in the likes of the NARNIA trilogy. Charlize Theron is bypassed and has little screen time, with the bulk villain duties instead given over to an insipid (and utterly unimposing) Emily Blunt. Jessica Chastain plays a single-note warrior woman while film as a whole is obsessed with constant CGI scenery and effects at the detriment of any discernable storyline. Indeed, the dialogue and plot are both full of cliches, with Hemsworth's character alone seemingly killed two or three times in various hackneyed moments of high drama. I did enjoy the first movie, to a degree, but this one's a step too far in the wrong direction.

Mirror mirror on the wall.. Define me a good movie. Oh that is very simple - a movie that is entertaining, relaxing, makes you smile, address your imagination, it has a good pace, you're not bored one moment and you come back to see it. This movie - has all that. I cannot think of a better movie than this. For me this felt more like LOTR but more chilled and I had more confidence in Chris. I made an account to write this review after seeing the existing reviews. I hope they will make more of it. Thinking of better movies... Warcraft? Is good but the rhythm is not as good nor is it so positive and relaxing. No country for old men? It has a rubbish ending. True Romance? Maybe... that also has moments where you want to ff. RocknRolla? Masterpiece but is a bit too urban for me. Edge of Tomorrow - second half is not as good - I keep watching only first half. Sicario, Pirates of the Caribbean, Payback are also getting close but The Huntsman - both movies - have something different - a flow of energy and continuity which none other has.

There's nothing worse than casting top notch talent and underusing them. The only time this film was great was when blunt and Theron were on screen together, and that wasn't much. The plot was confusing and after reading the trivia that it's both a prequel and sequel I understand why. We all know chris hemsworth can carry a film when there is great writing. There was none of that here. If it was to be a film about the huntsman, far more character development and plot was needed. As it was, he was not the most captivating character in the film, falling short because he is the title character.