Reviews only.

Curious whether the 71% audience from RT holds true for typical viewer.

I saw this the on the opening Thursday as it was playing for free on the Disney Cruise I was on. I wasn't going into it with any sort of expectations nor did i take detailed notes. My review below is to the best of my recollection but feel free to ask any questions. I know I am one of the rare individuals that has seen this movie lol.

It wasn't as bad or woke as people are making it out to be IMO. The basic premise is still pretty similar to the original Disney cartoon. Some key changes are:

Snow White was named as such because of the white snow that fell when she was born

When Snow White is born, her mother doesn't die immediately and they all lived quite happily with the the kingdom being prosperous supportive of each other.

When she is about 10 (based on the look of the actress playing young Snow White) her mom passes and the King marries the Evil Stepmother. The Evil Stepmother convinces the King to go out to fight a war in a far off place to defend the kingdom (its later revealed she had him killed).

THERE IS NO PRINCE. Instead there is a band of thieves in the forest who steal food and supplies from the Queen in order to survive and help feed the villagers. The claim to do so in the name of the true King but have no idea where he is (seems like an excuse more than anything). It's very Robinhood coded.

Snow White doesn't clean the house on her own (its not really that dirty to begin with). It gets messed up when the dwarves have a food fight after making fun of each other. Snow White shows them that cleaning up the mess isn't so bad when you can "Whistle While you Work"

Dopey learns to talk! Snow White teaches him to stand up for himself and his care for her helps him overcome his lack of speech. We eventually find out he is the narrator of the film

Snow White, Band of Thieves, and Dwarves banish the Queen from the castle. She freaks out and smashes the magic mirror which shatters into a million pieces and sucks her in to an alternate realm as she disappears forever.

Some thoughts I personally had:

• The CGI Dwarves were okay. It's obvious that they are CGI but it's not Episode I level bad. I would say it's a solid B+ to A-. The effect is just unusual, like seeing a 3D version of Homer Simpson
• The music was also solid but nothing that's going to be an ear worm level like Frozen. I liked the main number the best. It's called Good Things Grow and has a reprise at the end. "Waiting on a Wish" and "A Hand Meets a Hand" are the other good songs from the new music. I think it feels a lot like when a movie is adapted into a musical. There are different songs that try to achieve the same feeling or vibe.
• I thought the use of color to signify the happy times vs the evil stepmother's rule was well done. In general I liked the costume design
• The haircut the gave Snow White is awful. The wig (I assume) was so bad it actually distracted me from the movie.
• There were some shot for shot remakes of the cartoon that were a nice touch (Dopey with gems in his eyes)
• They also had a few jokes for the adults that would fly right over a kid's head in classic Disney style. There was a slightly edgy one about the Kardashians.
• While Gal Gadot is very attractive, part of the reason she is no longer considered the fairest in the land is that her beauty is only skin deep. The Magic Mirror notes that Snow White is genuine and kind to everyone and that is what puts her over the top as fairest in the land.
• Gal Gadot's singing is pretty bad and the acting isn't great either. To be fair to Gadot, I don't know if it's her or just bad writing. Regardless, her performance is the weakest of the film.
• For all the consternation, there actually is a little person in the movie. George Appleby plays Quigg, one of the bandits/thieves and his character plays a crucial role in one of the fight scenes.

I am sure some people will say this is a "woke DEI" retelling that destroys a classic Disney film. They point to Snow White being played by a mixed race woman, the lack of cleaning by Snow White, replacing the Prince with a Thief, the villagers sharing there resources, and Snow White standing up to the Evil Stepmother. I think that is a big stretch.

Overall I'd say it's a solid B-. Nothing super special or award worthy, but still an enjoyable film. I think most people would be fine to wait until it's on Disney+ to see it. There just isn't much that stands out about the movie. The music, acting, story, etc. is all just okay.