It’s no secret that Disney’s live-action remakes of its iconic animated films are usually underwhelming. Add to that a flurry of controversy, and you have the 2025 version of “Snow White,” which currently boasts a 1.7 IMDb rating, the lowest in Disney history.
However, despite its reputation, the film itself is not bad in the slightest.
The first positive is the show-stealing performance of Rachel Zegler as the titular princess. She brings all of the charm and charisma necessary for a role like this, and her voice could very well be the best part of the movie.
In addition to Zegler, the seven dwarves are scene-stealing and hilarious, as each one is full of life and personality. The story even includes a surprising but fresh character arc for Dopey.
Another great aspect of the film is its visuals. It can’t be overstated how vibrant the environments are and how much the colors pop off the screen. Director Marc Webb deeply understands how visuals relate to tone, evidenced by Snow White’s scenes permeated with vivid and bright color while the Evil Queen’s are heavily desaturated and darkened.
On top of the color, the CGI on the dwarves and forest animals is some of the best that Disney has achieved in recent years.
In terms of the story, most of it is remarkably unchanged compared to the radical shift that was both promised and feared.
Zegler herself said that the original “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” is “weird” and that they were taking a “different approach” with the new film. Fortunately, that different approach is essentially just fleshing out characters a tad more than their simplistic 1937 versions. It’s a rare case in which an aspect of a film being dramatically underwhelming — in this case, the story changes that were promised — is actually a positive in the grand scheme of things.
If there’s a common negative that has been harped on since the movie’s premiere, it’s the performance of Gal Gadot. She is not remotely good, as her performance is painfully one-note and almost robotic.
To be fair, however, this really isn’t a role that requires much more than what she does. The Evil Queen is evil, and that’s pretty much it. It would have been nice to see her get the same development as the characters around her, but at the end of the day, it’s not too big of an issue.
Overall, it’s a shame that this movie has been overcome with so much controversy and nasty reception. It’s not that a chunk of it isn’t warranted, because it is, but there is a truly good movie trapped underneath this wave of negativity. Hopefully, someday “Snow White” will be able to overcome its reputation and be seen as the delightful movie that it is.
