“The Huntsman: Winter’s War” hopes to bring back the crowds that turned out for “Snow White and the Huntsman” - a delightfully frightening reprise of the Snow White story allowing Charlize Theron to chew every bit of scenery in sight, as the wicked Queen out to get poor Kristen Stewart. The filmmakers peg this go round as a prequel and begins with Emily Blunt, who starts sweet and turns icy when when Theron erases Blunt’s daughter, lest the little girl grow in the “fairest of them all.” At this point, the movie turns into a live action version of “Frozen,” in which Blunt rules an icy kingdom forbidding love. Huntsman Chris Hemsworth falls for tough but beautiful Jessica Chastain. Their love banishes them from Blunt’s kingdom and off on a quest to prevent the magic mirror from falling into Charlize Theron’s hands; and since this is a prequel, we all know how this comes out. “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” goes long on special effects... so long in fact, that it looks like entire scenes and moments were written just to include the latest CGI technology. The original Huntsman was sent to cut out Snow White’s heart. He didn’t do it, and Snow White lived. This prequel, on the other hand, starts out without much heart and what little there is, gets cut out early. Does it deliver what it promises? Hard-edged fairy tale told with special effects. Is it entertaining? Lacks heart. Is it worth the price of admission? Doesn’t come close to the original.
