Snow White and the Huntsman

Who's in it:Bella who? Kristen Stewart nails it as a fierce yet feminine Snow White and Charlize Theron has your spine bracing with fear from her portrayal of the evil stepmother. Not only can Chris Hemsworth wield a magic hammer as Thor but he has a move or two with an axe as well, as the utterly charming and sometimes inebriated Huntsman. And one to watch, Sam Spruell as Queen Ravenna's equally evil brother.

Directed by:How do you turn a seven-page brothers' Grimm fairytale into an epic feature film? Ask Rupert Sanders. Making a career for himself in high-concept commercials he has moved into film, and for a directional debut it's pretty impressive.

The plot:Without giving too much away, all eyes are on Kristen Stewart, aka Snow White, who leads the narrative and the action. Yes this is a story of good versus evil, but each character brings nuance to their plight. The evil Queen Ravenna locks up Snow White until one day the raven-haired beauty is even more pulchritudinous than Ravenna. Snow White manages to steal away from her tower and with the help of the heavily armed huntsman, both in muscle and axe, and the eight dwarves (the original seven were copywrited by Disney!), she leads what is left of her father's kingdom to take back what is rightfully hers. Oh and there's a kiss or two along the way.

For those in the mood for:Fanciful action. Is that a genre? Visually sumptuous, it has action, comedy - mostly courtesy of the dwarves played by eight highly-esteemed and otherwise of average stature British actors - and a touch of romance.

Go and see it because:It's fun and fresh wrapped in a shawl of malevolent darkness. It has all the elements of the story we all know and love (there's still an apple and a magic mirror), but the rest is masterfully revised and rebooted. And if you're still not convinced, the Colleen Atwood-designed costumes with their layers of charcoal feathers, brassy metals and reams of opulent fabrics should be reason enough.