Film Preview: The Huntsman: Winter’s War (2016)

Page Revisions:

(November 22, 2015) Original
(March 27, 2016) New Trailers (#2 & #3) / New Posters (#7-#9)
(April 17, 2016) New Poster (#10)

Release Date:

April 22, 2016

Synopsis:

The Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) must ally himself with a prominent Warrior (Jessica Chastain) in an effort to stop the Evil Queen (Charlize Theron) when she pairs up with her Ice Queen sister (Emily Blunt).

Poster Rating: C+ (2) / B- (4) / C / C- (2) / C

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Review: (#1 & #2) While these two posters might appear vastly different they are, essentially, character posters featuring two characters, paired off as they will be in the film. They aren’t particularly magical or even memorable. (#3-#6) These individual character designs are thankfully individualized for each character, but they ultimately feel a bit generic and perfunctory.

(#7-#9) I could have given design #7 the same rating as the other two, but that would be dismissing it. The first of the three designs is certainly better, but what hurts the latter two isn’t the construction or style or design, but the fact that it simply cuts out the exact images of the characters from the prior design and that’s lazy design work.

(#10) Another cut-and-paste job that hides potential artistry in such work and turns it into a soul-sucking business of cheap fixes and transitions.

Trailer Rating: C / B / B-

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Review: (#1) When your trailer looks like a cheesy, and sometimes cheap, follow-up to an equally middling film, then you’ll appeal to those who liked it and alienate those who didn’t. That’s how this trailer looks.

(#2) I have to admit, by putting an emphasis on the battle and showcasing the effects of the film, it does certainly capture the imagination, which could make it one of the more successful films this summer.

(#3) I’m not sure that there is much different here than the prior trailer, except that it explains the situation less interestingly even using the same dialogue. There’s a visual flair to the second design that feels outdated in the third.