Snow White (2016 film)

Snow White is a 2016 British-American dark fantasy action romance film based on the German fairy tale of the same name. Felicity Jones stars as Snow White, with Michelle Pfeiffer as the evil queen. The film was directed by James Gunn and scored by Tyler Bates.

Plot
King Frederic of Tabor is riding through the woods in his carriage with his heavily pregnant wife Queen Liliana. They are suddenly attacked by wolves, who kill the driver and wound Liliana. Fredric is forced to perform an emergency cesarean section in order to save the unborn child, but Liliana bleeds to death. Frederic names his new daughter Snow White and raises her himself.

A few years later, Fredric meets Lady Elspeth and becomes smitten with her beauty, eventually marrying her. However, the scheming Elspeth kills Frederic by stabbing him through the heart as they consummate their marriage, becoming the Queen of Tabor. She tries to have Snow White, the rightful heir to the throne, imprisoned, but Snow White escapes the palace and flees into the woods. A group of soldiers pursue her, but she is rescued by seven dwarf miners, who fight the soldiers off and take Snow White in. For the next several years, Snow White lives with the dwarves in their cottage in the middle of the forest, while the kingdom of Tabor falls into ruin under Elspeth's reign.

On Snow White's eighteenth birthday, Elspeth's magic mirror informs her that Snow White has taken her place as the fairest in the land. Having presumed her dead all these years, Elspeth is enraged to learn that Snow White is still alive, and also more beautiful than her, so she hires a huntsman and sends him into the forest, tasked with killing Snow White and bringing Elspeth her heart.

Meanwhile, the dwarves promise to celebrate Snow White's birthday when they return home after work and depart, leaving Snow White alone. She decides to take a walk through the woods, unknowingly stalked by the huntsman. Just when the huntsman is about to strike Snow White, a troll attacks him. Before the troll can eat him, Snow White intervenes and calms the troll, which becomes smitten with her beauty and agrees to leave the huntsman alone, returning to the woods. Snow White is then surprised to recognize the huntsman as her childhood friend William.

Snow White brings William back to the cottage, where they catch up with each other and William tells Snow White how terrible life in the kingdom is under Elspeth. He also apologizes for trying to kill her, having not immediately recognized her, and she forgives him. They almost kiss, when suddenly the dwarves run home with Snow White's birthday cake. Panicking at the sight of William, the miners draw their pickaxes and chase him out of the house.

William returns to the castle, pretending that he killed Snow White, and brings the heart of a sheep to Elspeth in a box, telling that it is Snow White's heart. Meanwhile, Snow White explains to the dwarves who William is, and they apologize for chasing her friend away. Later, William returns to the cottage to see Snow White again and tells her that he is going to kill Elspeth so that Snow White can take her rightful place on the throne. Snow White begs him not to, not wishing death upon even her worst enemy.

When William again returns to the palace, he is summoned by Elspeth, who reveals that she has learned from her magic mirror that Snow White is still alive. Suddenly, the Queen's guards converge on William, but he fights them off and flees the castle. He is pursued into the forest by soldiers led by Captain Tyrion, eventually being shot with an arrow and falling down a hill. Presuming William dead, the soldiers ride away. William is found by the dwarves, who recognize him and bring him back to the cottage, where they nurse him back to health with Snow White's help. Now branded an outlaw and a traitor, William decides to stay with Snow White and the dwarves, who give him a job in the mines.

The group live happily together for a month or so until one of Elspeth's spy ravens spots William going to work in the mine with the dwarves and informs the queen, who in turn dispatches Tyrion after them. Tyrion and his men raid the mine, killing one of the dwarves into the process before the troll from before appears and chases them away. William organizes the dwarves to lead an assault on Elspeth's castle to dethrone her, against Snow White's wishes.

Meanwhile, Elspeth concocts a plan to finally kill Snow White and uses the mirror's black magic to transform herself into an ugly old hag and then heads out into the forest. She arrives at the cottage, in her disguise, and convinces Snow White to take an apple from her. Snow White bites the apple without knowing it is poisoned. Before she passes out, Snow White sees Elspeth's true form in a mirror's reflection. Elspeth tells Snow White that she killed her father, and then leaves.

William and the dwarves arrive at the castle, where they battle their way through the guards and storm into the throne room, only to find it empty. Before they leave, William smashes the magic mirror. The group are then confronted by Tyrion, but the dwarves throw their tools at him and knock him off of the tower to his death.

A thunderstorm begins just as William and the dwarves return home to find Snow White dead. While the dwarves mourn, William runs into the forest and finds Elspeth, still in the form of an old woman. He then chases her to the edge of a river, which has become heavier due to the rain. William tells her that he destroyer her mirror and shows her a shard which he brought with him. Elspeth realizes that she is trapped in her decrepit form and, while trying to see her reflection in the water, slips on the muddy bank and falls into the river. She manages to grab hold of a branch sticking out of the ground, but is begins to easily give way. William extends his hand to her, remembering Snow White's words about revenge and forgiveness, but she is unable to accept life without her beauty and refuses, causing her to be swept away to her death.

The following morning, the dwarves prepare to bury Snow White. After they each say their goodbyes, a tearful William kisses Snow White on the lips. Suddenly, Snow White opens her eyes, a true love's kiss having neutralized the poison of the apple. She kisses William while the dwarves applaud. Later, we see Snow White finally being crowned Queen of Tabor with the dwarves in attendance and William by her side as king.

Cast
Felicity Jones - Snow White

Henry Cavill - William, the Huntsman

Michelle Pfeiffer - Elspeth, the Evil Queen

Thomas Kretschmann - Tyrion

Andy Serkis - The Troll

Pierce Brosnan - King Frederic

Juliette Binoche - Queen Liliana

Chiwetel Ejiifor - Magic Mirror (Voice)