By Bella Whitmore | Intern
I would like to start this out by requesting an apology from whoever turned on and hated Rachel Zegler for making a slightly annoying comment that every other actress who has played a live-action Disney princess has also made.
Leading up to the release of the film, the movie stirred quite a bit of controversy over Zegler’s comments and her reported tension with co-star Gal Gadot regarding the Israel-Palestine debate. All of this mixed with leaked photos of the dwarves being, well, not dwarves at all — but instead traditionally sized humans or for the sake of political correctness — created a whirlwind of controversy years before the movie even came out.
Rachel Zegler is a star. In a movie where everything and everyone seems to be working against her, she delivers an incredible performance both vocally and acting-wise. She captures Snow White’s classic demeanor to a T and livens the story with her beautiful voice and charming character portrayal. I am a Rachel Zegler defender until the day I day, or, a “Zeg head” to quote the words of one of my classmates. I will personally pay her medical bills for breaking her back carrying the weight of this movie.
Moving on to all that is working against her in this film, it seems fitting to start out with her character foil, the evil queen. Now, I know it’s not exactly news that Gal Gadot is a bad actor, but I underestimated just how bad she can be. Every movie reviewer and film influencer will tell you that her performance is terrible and lifeless, and I’m here to tell you that these descriptions do not do the reality justice. However bad you think it is, multiply it by 30, and then you might be getting close.
It seemed like she was playing dress-up, delivering a comically dramatic and unrealistic performance — including one of the worst songs I think I have ever heard. I cannot imagine being a professional director, watching Gadot maniacally laugh and fumble over lines, and still thinking, “Yes this is perfect!”
I said it on Letterboxd, and I’ll say it again: Do you know how bad of an actor you have to be to actually become more bearable and easier to watch after you’ve turned into an evil old hag?
As for the dwarves and the CGI, I think we all knew it was going to be bad — which it was — but I adjusted to it pretty quickly. The bigger issue wasn’t their appearance but how irritating they were written and how little I cared about them or their stories.
The romance in this film is one of the more redeemable qualities. Don’t get me wrong, the story between Snow White and Jonathan is recycled and cheesy in every sense, but I really am a sucker for stuff like that. Their song and romantic buildup were cute and enjoyable to watch. If you can also appreciate a mindless, fluffy romance, you won’t be disappointed.
Finally, the last thing that seemed to be working against Zegler in this film was her very own hair and wardrobe team. At least half of the movie for me was spent wishing I could just brush out her Lord Farquaad-esque hair and make it look more natural and less stiff. She deserved better than that. But this is surely a minor complaint in the grand scheme of all that is poorly done in this movie.
If you don’t believe me on this, just take a look at Rotten Tomato’s 43% rating of the film, IMDb’s bestowal of 1.9/10 stars or The Guardian calling the film ‘toe-curlingly terrible’.
