As usual, the trailer was pretty misleading with this film. I was expecting a bit more action, but I can't really complain because what I got was still a pretty good fairy tale with a dark twist. I can't say the story was perfect. The pacing was all over the place; sometimes it felt like it was dragging, sometimes it felt like it was moving too quick, sometimes it felt just right. And there were some parts that felt completely unnecessary to the plot and probably could have been done away with entirely.

Another thing suffering from inconsistency was the acting. Of course I'm going to pick on Kristen Stewart but I can't say she was all bad. Being known for being so stoic and unemotional there were a few scenes where she brought across some passion on the screen. Charlize Theron was the only consistently good performance, but even in her case there was one line that just felt so forced. Unfortunately it came at the beginning of the film and I couldn't get it out of my head throughout the rest of it. But she still brought across the character of the queen with great menace and you can't help but appreciate her performance.

However, what brought me to the movie in the first place was the look and feel of it that you got from the trailers. I hate the "gritty reboot" term that's being thrown around Hollywood so often lately, but the fact that it was being applied to a children's fairy tale was what intrigued me. That reasoning is why I love Pan's Labyrinth (one of my all-time favorite films) so much, so I couldn't pass up a chance to see it applied somewhere else. That aspect of the film did not disappoint. The visuals, costumes, and sets throughout the entire movie were extremely well-done and set a tone that I couldn't help but love.

Overall, it was just alright. A great tone and environment can only go it so far when the story set within is relatively lacklustre.

Grade: C