'The Huntsman: Winter's War' review: This fairytale has too many plot holes

Film: The Huntsman: Winter's War
Director: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
Cast: Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain

What's it about

It's the story that came before, they tell you. About the Huntsman (Hemsworth) and pretty warrior wife Sara (Chastain) and how their lives came to be as such. How the Evil Queen and Ice Queen are related and how the Mirror on the wall works its evil magic yet again. But no, this isn't a prequel. It's an inbetweener sequel where the Huntsman makes a rather startling discovery.

We meet the Huntsman several minutes into the movie. Before that, you're told about sisters Freya (Blunt) and Ravenna (Theron) and how they parted ways after Freya faces betrayal in love, several years after being by her sister's side. How Freya builds an army of huntsmen and women by training them since childhood, with their hearts never knowing love.

How does the Hunstman find his way back to Freya? How does the Evil Queen return to wreak havoc once again? Will they be able to stop her in time? And will the Ice Queen take her sister's side again?

What's hot

Chastain looks like she was born to play Sara. She fits the role of a warrior to the T. But it is Ravenna, in the limited time you see her on screen, that is the film's real hero (well, despite being the ultimate villain of the story, of course). The film is bearable only because she is in it. 

What's not

If you have watched the first film, you'll find that there's a continuity problem here. You see, while Sara finds mention as Eric's wife, no mention is ever made of Freya. I distinctly remember there being a brother to the queen, but nary a mention of her sister. Ever. Ravenna's mother dies before her eyes, passing on a spell that kept her young several years, but you are never told how her brother survived or how her sister existed before her brother did. And talking about spells, Freya never ages. Never. And Ravenna has to kill young women to retain her youth. Why? Never explained. The comic moments are far too weak and the good ones, too few. There are few fight scenes and fewer still special effects. 

What to do

If you watched the first movie and liked it, this sequel will disappoint you. And even if you haven't, it will still disappoint you.

Rating: **