What do I think of when I see the name Snow White?  A cape.  A really bad cape.  Okay, now let’s be serious.  Snow White has never been one of my favorite Disney Princesses, but when I saw the trailer for this movie – I couldn’t have been more excited.

Kristen Stewart surprisingly brings life to the once dormant character, Snow White.  Charlize Theron is absolutely captivating as Queen Ravenna – the evil sorceress who plans to rid White of her kingdom after taking the life of her father and his throne.  Chris Hemsworth is the gallant “not-so-perfect” hero Huntsman.  Being widowed and a fallen-down drunk put, his life at a standstill until he is given the task to track Snow White.  And last but not least are the final installments to the classic tale:  William, a separated childhood friend who sets out to find White once after all the passing years, and the Seven Dwarves, who add the perfect touch of fantasy and ever so slight comic relief.

Once the narration had ended and the main story picked up, I felt like I was transported into the Lord of the Rings.  I expected the fight scenes and all of the edginess I saw in the commercials to be all but a myth, but I was ecstatic to see the action amplified.  The harmony at which the story created darkness was impecable; you truly saw the awful and touching on gory look of the medieval setting.  What was smartly incorporated was the fantasy of the fairies and light creatures but it didn’t seem fake or overdone – it was beautiful and touching.  The story was truly realistic and you felt like you were inside their world the entire time.

I also fell in love with the character development.  Each one had a story behind their feelings and it wasn’t easy to read any of them.  What I didn’t expect, but really adored was that it wasn’t an easy win for Snow White.  I guess it’s necessary to say that there is a tiny – emphasis on tiny – *SPOILER ALERT* which is that Snow White wins.  No kidding.  But moving onto – the way she won.  It wasn’t that she waltzed in, prepared for battle, and used her MGM fairy dust to wipe away the competition; she fought hard and strong to defeat the enemy.  I appreciated that she wasn’t just the average princess where magic things happened to her.  She was a warrior who survived on her own quick thinking and skills – not to mention her trademark beauty and innocence that sustained life in the kingdom.

Snow White is officially one of my favorite heroines now because of her realistic story and courageous attitude.  This story proves that colorful dresses and slick, handsome princes are OUT and army wielding female protagonists are here to stay.