With the September 11th release of “Snow White and the Huntsman” on DVD and Blu-Ray, the question becomes ‘should I buy it and is it worth $20?’

I was one of the people that didn’t take the time to go the theaters and pay the $10 to sit in a somewhat uncomfortable seat, and to quote my professor, “listen to people eat.”

I’ve loved the Disney version since I was a child so I was iffy on if I would like it or not. But I wanted to see the movie, so I sent my guy to the store to pick it up.

This darker telling of Snow White received mediocre reviews from most sources, getting a score of 2.5 stars out of 5 from Rolling Stones and 5.6 out of 10 from Rotten Tomatoes.  

Set in medieval times, it tells the story of an evil queen, Raveena (Charlize Theron), who marries the widowed King Magnus and then murders him, leaving behind his only daughter, “who is and will be the fairest in the land.” Raveena then locks up Snow White (Kristen Stewart) and she is believed to be dead throughout the land. 

Snow White escapes into the dark forest where Raveena sends the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to capture her. Once the Huntsman discovers that Raveena has no intention to keep the promise she made to him to convince him to hunt Snow. 

The Huntsman then assists Snow White on her journey where she transforms from a scared runaway to a warrior, who ultimately battles with Raveena.

Love her or hate her, Stewart plays a decent Snow White. Stewart, who gained stardom from the Twilight franchise, isn’t awful in the role. No, she will not be winning any award for the performance, but I was able to watch the movie without thinking about how awkward she can sometimes be.  

One of the key elements of the movie is the dark forest. It’s introduced after Snow’s escape and portrayed as a drug-like effect. It wasn’t you’re typical monsters around the corner but more of what the own mind could produce. 

The visual effects and makeup choices are phenomenal. Those were probably the best aspects of the movie. From the mirror on the wall, to the way Theron looked as Raveena, to shattering-glass-like army. The action sequences were very well done, and kept the pace of the movie going.

Although there were some moments of lull, this movie is a well-paced, well-acted movie that I would suggest picking up. It would be great for a movie night with a group of friends. I am glad that I went ahead and bought it, instead of just getting it through Netflix or Redbox.