Disney portrayed Snow White as delicate and soft. In “Mirror, Mirror,” Snow White still has a heart of gold, but she can also defend herself. She holds her own in a fencing duel and even rescues her “Prince Charming” when he’s in trouble.

Another interesting alteration is that the seven dwarves in this movie are all crooks who steal from anyone who ventures through their forest. Just like their Disney counterparts, though, the dwarves all love Snow White and protect her in any way they can.

It’s strange to see Julia Roberts as the villainous Queen. She is usually the good character in most movies. Regardless, she does a great job. Her acting is believable and it’s obvious that her character simply cannot stomach Snow White. The Queen’s signature magic-mirror has also been given a face-lift. Once she says “mirror, mirror” in front of it, she is taken to an mystical cottage surrounded by water.

Lily Collins plays the lead role of Snow White and gives a wonderful, realistic performance throughout. Her fencing scenes are especially impressive, and the connection she shares with the Prince feels genuine. When their eyes meet, one can easily see the love. The best scene displaying this is when Snow White has to break the Prince out of the Queen’s spell by kissing him. The expressions on both actors’ faces shows how much their characters love each other.

The costumes here are very elaborate, with the Queen’s dresses being the biggest. When she sits in her throne, her dresses take up the entire space. The outfits are colorful and puffy.

Comically, it’s the Prince’s shirtless state in two scenes that gets the Queen interested in him. At one point, she has to summon someone to get the prince a shirt because she “could not focus.” This is certainly an element that was not in the Disney version.

Throughout the movie, I wondered when the infamous poison apple would come into play.  In an intriguing twist on the story we all know so well, the Queen appears and offers Snow White the apple following her marriage to the Prince. Snow White cuts a piece and offers it to the Queen first. This symbolizes the end of the Queen’s reign and a return to harmony for the kingdom as a whole.

“Mirror, Mirror” is the classic happy-ending fairy tale. The fencing and other fighting scenes add a bit of action to the movie that makes it more enjoyable. If you are a fan of the story of Snow White, you will enjoy this movie.

4 stars out of 5