Snow White and the Huntsman Parent Guide
For families with younger viewers, "Snow White and the Huntsman" is a more violent and bloody adaptation then the sanitized fairytales we are familiar with today.
Parent Movie Review
Evil has never been better clothed than in the sumptuous robes worn by Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) in Snow White and the Huntsman. After duping the grieving widower King Magnus (Noah Huntley) into marrying her, she stabs him in the heart on the night of their nuptials and crowns herself ruler. Then she opens the castle’s gate to let in her equally demonic brother (Sam Spruell) and his army.
Obsessed with her looks, Ravenna frequently asks her magical mirror to confirm her status as the fairest in the land. She bathes in milk and then lets her starving subjects drink it. And when a whisper of a wrinkle appears on her brow, she restores her ageless beauty by literally sucking the youth and vitality out of the most attractive women in the kingdom.
But when the King’s imprisoned daughter Snow White (Kristen Stewart) comes of age, the mirror declares her to be more beautiful than any other. Sending for the young royal, Ravenna intends to devour her loveliness as well. Luckily, Snow White escapes from her cell and rushes into the Dark Forest. Outraged, the Queen coerces a drunken, insolent Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) into following the princess and retrieving her from the magical woods. However, when he stumbles upon the feisty escapee, he has a change of heart… thus setting up a love triangle when Snow White’s childhood friend (the Prince played by Sam Claflin) reappears.
More reminiscent of the Grimm Brothers’ tale than Disney’s 1937 animation, this dark script teems with gruesome depictions and grisly deaths as characters are impaled, stabbed, shot or hacked with an axe. In another scene, a woman’s face blisters in the heat of a fire. And inside the castle walls, Revenna uses claw-like appendages on her fingers to tear the hearts from birds and eat their bloody organs. Even the dwarfs are a more uncouth bunch. (Despite that, they provide the only comic relief in this otherwise gloomy narrative.)
While the film’s digital effects, costumes and sets are stunning, Kristen Stewart puts in a performance disappointingly similar to her Bella character in Twilight. And at 127 minutes, the movie is long, with extended fight scenes that feel like they could be easily trimmed without losing the impact of the action.
One of many retellings of this ancient story, Snow White and the Huntsman includes the elements of this classic text. But for families with younger viewers, this is a more violent and bloody adaptation then the sanitized fairytales we are familiar with today.
Directed by Rupert Sanders. Starring Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemswort, Charlize Theron, Sam Claflin. Running time: 116 minutes. Theatrical release June 1, 2012. Updated July 17, 2017About author
Snow White and the Huntsman
Rating & Content Info
Why is Snow White and the Huntsman rated PG-13? Snow White and the Huntsman is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for intense sequences of violence and action, and brief sensuality.
Violence: Scores of characters are killed in battles involving swords, axes, fiery missiles and knives. Others receive bloody wounds. A man is stabbed in the chest and some blood is seen. A child sees her dead father with the knife in his chest. A woman tears a bird’s heart out with her fingers and then eats it. An army swarms a castle, killing people, burning buildings and taking hostages. A character sucks the life and vitality out of others. A man is raked along the face with a large nail. Horses fall and stumble in a bog. Animals are shot with arrows. Decaying bird bodies and other gruesome depictions are shown in the Dark Forest. Characters experience hallucinations. Characters engage in fistfights or are beaten. A woman repeatedly hits her brother. A woman attempts to dress a man’s bloody chest injury. A huge monster chases characters. Soldiers set fire to a village. Women scar their faces and the faces of their daughters to protect them from the Queen. A character drinks human blood. A child is kidnapped from her family. A man talks about a woman’s death screams. A character is impaled on a tree. A man takes an arrow for another character. His death scene is shown and the body is later burned. A woman’s face blisters in a fire. A girl chokes on a poison apple. Characters are stabbed in hand-to-hand combat. Men are attacked by magical beings.
Sexual Content: Sensual depictions include a naked woman entering and exiting a bath (no specific nudity is seen). Her bare back is seen again later. Women wear low cut or off the shoulder clothing that often accentuate their bosoms. Brief kissing and hugging is shown. Brief sexual innuendo is included. A brother kisses his sister on the neck and lays his head against hers.
Language: The script contains infrequent profanities and some bathroom humor.
Alcohol / Drug Use: A main character drinks alcohol often and becomes drunk on a couple of occasions. Other characters are show with liquor. Another character makes a brief reference to the hallucinogenic effect of a certain food.
Page last updated July 17, 2017
Snow White and the Huntsman Parents' Guide
Why do the women in the village on the lake scar their faces and the faces of their daughters? How does this protect them? What other sacrifices do parents make for their children?
How does Raveena use her beauty to destroy others? Why is she so obsessed with her looks? What influenced her opinion of men?
How can a leader impact the people they rule over? What are the qualities of a good leader? Does Snow White’s character display those attributes?
Home Video
The most recent home video release of Snow White and the Huntsman movie is September 11, 2012. Here are some details…
Home Video Notes: Snow White and the Huntsman
Release Date: 11 September 2012
Snow White and the Huntsman releases to home video (Bluray/DVD/UVDigitalCopy) on September 11, 2012. The package includes both the theatrical version and an extended edition of the movie. Bonus extras include:,
- Feature Commentary with director Rupert Sanders, visual effects supervisor Cedric Nicolas-Troyan and co-editor Neil Smith
- A New Legend is Born
- Reinventing the Fairy Tale
- Citizens of the Kingdom
- The Magic of Snow White and the Huntsman
- Around the Kingdom: 360° Set Tour
- Universal’s Second Screen
Related home video titles:
Kristen Stewart plays another damsel that attracts a lot of attention in The Twilight Saga. The Snow White story has been told by other filmmakers including: Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Enchanted, Sydney White and Mirror Mirror.
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