Snow White and the Huntsman

Let me say right off the bat that I did not go see Mirror Mirror, the jokey version of Snow White with Julia Roberts. I like my fairy tales dark and violent and Snow White and the Huntsman seemed more to my taste.  And I did like it.  I've never seen Kristen Stewart in another movie (okay, Panic Room when she was a child) as I've assiduously avoided anything to do with Twilight so I thought she was fine in this. I have friends who tell me that she only makes one face in her movies, but as this is the only one I really know, I was fine with it. She came though when she needed to, which was the whole point, I think. And Chris Hemsworth was also good, although I was sad to see his handsome face obscured by dirty hair and just plain dirt. But he did a fine job as the guy charged with finding Snow and bringing her heart to the queen, but who then as a change of heart. It's not particularly nuanced but he did the job well. And here's Charlize Theron playing another ice queen. I'll give her this, she does it REALLY well. This queen is scary and you would have to have a sword and belief in yourself in order to face her down. However, the real stars of this movie are the costumes. Good God, they were amazing. Yes, Colleen Atwood has won three Academy Awards but she really outdid herself here. And luck Charlize got to wear all of them-from the slightly raggedy dress she's wearing when Snow's father finds her, to the amazing night dress she wears when she kills him, the gown with with the bird skulls and chains that hang from her crown/tiara to frame her face (and that face!) they are works of art. And I haven't even gone into that metal finger armor that she apparently uses to pull out bird's hearts for a snack. Who cares about the plot when you can look at a magic mirror that seems be a figure clothed in molten gold?