I know I’m a bit late, but I just recently watched Snow White and the Huntsman and thought it was a pretty well done fantasy film that took some nice liberties with the iconic fairy tale. So I was more than delighted when Universal sent me not only the follow up movie to review, but the 4K UHD version at that. Those with 4K setups and fans of the first movie can rejoice with the release of The Huntsman: Winter’s War, which takes viewers back to the beautifully crafted world established in the previous film for more action, drama and romance than you can shake an axe at.
It just so happens that my colleague Chris Pandolfi has reviewed both the previous movie and this follow up, so I’ll discuss my thoughts on the film, the 4K Blu-ray release and its extras. Like the movie before it, I enjoyed this one and how it played out as both a prequel and sequel. The cast does a wonderful job with their characters, as they experience both the joys and pains of love and how it can make or destroy people. The costumes along with the gorgeous settings and special effects are some of the things that also pulled me (and I’m sure others) into the film, as they really are a sight to behold.
As if that weren’t enough, seeing all of these visual treats in 4K UHD is a much welcomed feast for the senses, as the details for both the picture and audio really do immerse you into the movie and keep you there until the end. There’s also quite a few special features to take a look at when you’re done, starting with being able to watch an extended cut of the movie that adds a few minutes of scenes that spice up the film a bit. Then there’s a few extras that focus on the ladies in the movie and what each of them bring to the story, another that goes behind the scenes of the special effects and the awesome looking costumes, and there’s a few others such as one that has Nick Frost and Rob Brydon discussing their dwarf characters returning for the film and how the visual effects were done to make them look dwarf size.
The Huntsman: Winter’s War is a wonderful looking film which I can see why it was released on a great looking format. The 4K UHD treatment makes the beautiful visuals stand out even more, and that along with a great cast and a nice set of extras make this a package that’s the fairest of them all.