Killing with Kindness
Directed by Marc Webb
Starring Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, Andrew Burnap
Released March 21st, 2025
Rated PG
Born during a snowstorm (hence her name), Snow White (Rachel Zegler) lives in a castle with her stepmother (Gal Gadot), her father long out of the picture and presumed dead. Her stepmother isn’t just a Queen, she is an Evil Queen, spending her time collecting precious gems, denying her subjects food, brewing deadly potions, and chatting up her magic mirror, who reassures her she is the fairest of them all. Snow dreams of a better life for herself and her kingdom. This is a character who eventually decides to wield kindness as a weapon, as a force for real change. That’s a radical idea courtesy of screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson, one I’d love to see catch fire in the real world.
Snow is not content to wait for her prince to come, instead singing in a song that “You are who you’ve been waiting for.” Indeed, a charming prince is nowhere to be found. In his place we have Johnathan (Andrew Burnap), a bandit wanted by the crown for causing treasonous trouble. Being an outlaw who wears green, Johnathan reminded me of Flynn Rider from Tangled, or, I guess, Robin Hood. Burnap is fine as the outlaw/love interest, although he’s more of a trope than a character. While she is not a performer possessing great range, Gal Gadot is clearly having a blast being evil and I think it would be a treat to see her take on more villainous roles in the future.
Discovered by none other than Steven Spielberg, Rachel Zegler showcased her considerable talents in his West Side Story and in the Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Here she proves to be one of the best live action Disney Princesses. Her stalwart Snow White is upbeat and kind, with a beautiful voice to boot. Much has been made about a “controversy” surrounding this film that was born online out of those who are angry about Zegler’s casting as this iconic character. I put the word controversy in quotation marks because there is no legitimate controversy at all. This comes down to plain and simple racism. These racist keyboard warriors who have dubbed the movie “Snow Woke” are outraged that a character with white in her name is portrayed by someone with olive skin. Why would anyone give this hateful chatter a platform? I do not take the arguments of racists seriously. These angry people have exposed themselves to be bastions of hatred, and they do not deserve to be listened to, catered to, or empowered. Rachel Zegler is incredible in this role, and it is a shame that anyone would call racist hatred toward her a “controversy.”
Director Marc Webb’s Snow White is one of the better live action remakes from the House of Mouse, alongside Bill Condon’s Beauty and the Beast and Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella. This adaptation of Disney’s groundbreaking 1937 classic animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs features fun new characters, memorable new songs, and in lieu of dwarfs, some admittedly dodgy special effects. Over the years, some little people have complained that the only movie roles that were offered to them were playing dwarves and munchkins in fantasy films. In an attempt to sidestep any issues that could arise out of the casting of little people, the filmmakers decided to make these characters fully computer generated. The seven dwarfs are never referred to as dwarfs here, and indeed they come across more like magical human-like creatures who live deep in the woods. Voiced by Jeremy Swift, Tituss Burgess, Martin Klebba, Jason Kravits, George Salazar, Andy Grotelueschen, and Andrew Barth Feldman (who is also the narrator), they are modeled to resemble their animated counterparts from the original film, but the CG isn’t very convincing.
The special effects are better when it comes to the woodland creatures, who refreshingly behave in a very animated way, with personality and attitude, like their counterparts from the original film. Kave Quinn’s ornate production design and Sandy Powell’s gorgeous costumes help bring the fable to life, and cinematographer Mandy Walker ensures that the film never forgets its animated roots, with a standout scene being when Snow White is sucked into the forbidden forest. The Evil Queen’s Magic Mirror looks perfect, though I missed the inclusion of Snow White’s iconic glass casket and the frightening mountain chase between the dwarves and the Evil Queen. This is probably to keep the door open for sequels, and as a result, this version is surprisingly more family friendly than the 1937 original!
Perhaps the strongest element of Snow White are the great new songs from Pasek and Paul, the talented songwriting team behind La La Land, Dear Evan Hansen and The Greatest Showman. No doubt you’ll spend the day humming these new tunes as they are quite catchy and sure to get stuck in your head. It is tradition for a Disney Princess to have an “I Want” song, and Rachel Zegler’s soaring voice helps to make Snow White’s “Waiting on a Wish” a strong one. Disney villain songs are almost always a good time, and I’m pleased to report that Gal Gadot has a lot of fun belting out “All is Fair.” Andrew Burnap’s roguish charm as Johnathan is on full display during “Princess Problems,” a song that got laughs from the audience. We are also treated to a few returning classics, such as “Heigh-Ho’ and “Whistle While You Work,” the latter of which is delightfully staged and a wonderful showcase for how bright and sunny fairy tales like this can be.