THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER’S WAR – “Truly Enchanting”

 
If you saw trailers for this movie you were probably left a little confused when you heard it was a prequel to 2012’s ‘Snow White and the Huntsman‘.
 

You probably had a variety of thoughts zooming through your mind on how the storyline would play out for the Huntsman. Would he somehow forget that he knew Ravenna? Maybe from some sort of spell or something. Or, would the directors rewrite the story somehow. Thankfully that didn’t happen.
 

‘The Huntsman: Winter’s War‘ is actually the sequel to ‘Snow White and the Huntsman‘ but gives a great background-prequel-story which ties in very nicely with ‘Snow White and the Huntsman‘, and actually compliments both films.
 

The film stars: Chris Hemsworth (Eric/the Huntsman), Charlize Theron (Queen Ravenna), Emily Blunt (The Ice Queen), Jessica Chastain (Sara), Nick Frost (Nion), Rob Brydon (Gryff), Sheridan Smith (Mrs. Bromwyn), Alexandra Roach (Doreena) and Sam Claflin (Prince William).
 

 
The story begins many years before the events of ‘Snow White and the Huntsman‘ took place. We are introduced to the evil Queen Ravenna and her sister, Freya, who rule their kingdom together.
 

Freya‘s powers awaken after she experiences deep, soul-wracking heartbreak, and unleashes her power of snow and ice in order to build her own empire. To add to this, she builds her army of huntsmen who include Eric and Sara who she trains from childhood.
 

 
In defiance to Freya‘s laws they commit the mortal sin of falling in love and their plans to escape the kingdom ends in disaster for them both.
 

The story jumps ahead seven years later after the events surrounding Snow White unfold. Being the best at what he does, Eric is recruited to find the Magic Mirror before it falls into Freya’s evil hands
This is where the story takes off.
 

 
This film has a ‘Frozen‘-meets-‘Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe‘ sort of feel, with the ice kingdom and the magic displayed throughout the film which definitely wows you. There is a mixture of everything in this film: action, adventure, romance, humour and mystery.
 

Chris Hemsworth is great as the Huntsman, but what gave the film its brilliance was Emily Blunt‘s performance as the Ice Queen.
 

This is definitely an all-around enjoyable film with magic that will enchant you.