THE HUNTSMAN - WINTER'S WAR : Tuesday 12th April 2016.

THE HUNTSMAN : WINTER'S WAR which I saw in the week, is the sequel to the 2012 movie 'Snow White and the Huntsman' which off the back of its US$170M budget made US$397M. Directed by first timer Cedric Nicolas-Troyan who was the VFX specialist on the first film, and filmed in England, this next instalment was released in the UK on 4th April and opens in the US on 22nd April, and has so far made US$19M off its US$115M budget.

Here we see a number of characters from that earlier instalment reprising their roles including Chris Hemsworth as Eric, the Huntsman; Charlize Theron as Ravenna, the Evil Queen; Nick Frost as Nion a Dwarf; and Sam Claflin as King William. This time joined by Emily Blunt as Freya, the Ice Queen and sister of Ravenna, Rob Brydon as dwarf Gryff and half-brother of Nion, and Jessica Chastain as Sara, a warrior and wife of Eric.

As the film opens we are taken back to time before the death of Raveena at the hands of Snow White, where the Evil Queen learns from the magic mirror that her sister Freya is pregnant with a daughter, and that in time that child's beauty will outshine her own. The mirror also warns of dire repurcussions if that child is harmed in any way. Later as Freya and her lover The Duke of Blackwood plan their escape from Raveena's evil shadow, Freya learns that in fact her lover has murdered their child in its cot, and in her rage she unleashes her hitherto dormant cryokinetic power and kills the Duke. Mourning her loss and vowing to never love again, she abandons her sister and moves to the remote North and builds herself an ice palace and establishes her own kingdom that she can rule over. In time she builds an army of children that she can nurture and train to become skilled huntsman and women, and instills in them all the need to turn their back on love for fear of death by her own hand should anyone betray her wishes. In the meantime, she provides food, clothing, shelter and two particular apt children prove to be her star pupils - Eric and Sara who grow up to be Chris Hemsworth and Jessica Chastain. They fall in love as they reach adulthood much to the disdain of the Ice Queen, who unleashes her wrath on them both - killing Sara and injuring Eric and throwing him into a fast flowing icy river to be washed down stream presumed dead.

We now fast forward seven years, and Raveena is dead killed by Snow White who now rules over the kingdom. But recently Snow White has come under the spell of the magic mirror and its dark powerful force, and so a plan was hatched to remove the mirror to a forest 'Sanctuary' where its powers can be contained. Eric is tracked down by King William and two accompanying dwarves, Nion and Gryff, who recount the tale of woe to the Huntsman and state that only he can retrieve the mirror that disappeared while en route to its final destination at the Sanctuary. Upon orders from Snow White, Eric agrees that the mirror cannot be allowed to fall into the wrong hands and so the search begins with Nion and Gryff in tow, believing that Freya may be after the mirror to harness its power for her own purposes and to expand her kingdom ultimately.

Upon their journey to retrieve the mirror the trio rest up in a local hostelry where a brawl breaks out involving other Huntsmen who recognise Eric from years before when he broke the law by falling in love. As the brawl escalates outside, Eric is aided by a mystery person who fends off the other Huntsmen and they retreat on horseback. That rescuer is Sara, believed to be long dead, but not so - Eric can hardly believe his eyes, but each have a different explanation for their separation having been bewitched by Freya into thinking that Sara had been killed and Eric fled to save his own bacon - each has a conflicting memory of those events.

With Sara now joining the hunt for the magic mirror, the four fall into the hands of two female dwarves Bromwyn (Sheridan Smith) and Doreena (Alexandra Roach) who take them prisoner but agree to release them if they be allowed to join their quest and share in the spoils. They know of a place where the goblins take their valuable treasures that is close to the Sanctuary, but is heavily forested and those that venture in, never venture out. The get in easily enough but getting out is more tricky when marauding goblins descend to thwart their plan to retrieve the mirror. But of course they prevail and the mirror makes it out, covered up to hide its powers and prevent anyone gazing up on it.

The next morning, having slept in an enchanted forest glen and Eric and Sara have reconciled their differences, the group are descended upon by Freya and her army who take the mirror back to the Ice Kingdom, and in the process freeze to the spot Nion and Doreena who by now have started to get acquainted in a dwarf kinda way! Sara retreats with Freya back to the Ice Kingdom having been ordered by Freya to kill Eric - to which she promptly shoots an arrow directly into his chest.

Needless to say, our hero survives and vows to retrieve the mirror and his one true love from Freya and her Ice Kingdom. And so Eric, Gryff and Bromwyn make their way through the frozen wasteland to the mountainous Ice Kingdom, with not much of a plan, but a whole lot of determination and bravado. At the same time Freya reactivates the mirror by reading aloud the inscription along its edge so releasing Raveena who upon her death possessed herself spiritually into the mirror awaiting the day for her to be released. And so she is, having regained her form she is reunited with her sister but has designs of her own on who now should rule over the Ice Kingdom. As the sisters argue with each other over who should reign supreme and to what end, Freya learns that her sister cursed The Duke of Blackwood to kill her child. Eric, Gryff and Bromwyn are captured and at the point of Eric's execution, a number of other Huntsmen whom Eric grew up with up, turn against Raveena and Freya and attempt to kill them both. In her rage, Freya turns against her sister, and using her powers freezes the mirror, at which Eric then throws his axe so breaking the mirror into a thousand pieces and destroying Raveena's spirit. Eric and Sara are reunited, and you guessed it - live happily ever after!

In the final analysis this is everything you would expect it to be, and nothing more. The storyline is inventive enough, the casting is strong with the additions of Jessica Chastain and Emily Blunt, there is sufficient action to maintain the pace, the dwarves add just the right amount of humour along the way and in the end don't forget that this is an early 19th Century children's fairytale updated for a 21st Century audience. It's worth a look, just don't have too high an expectation.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-