I truly wanted to enjoy this film. I went in with no bad vibes, just hope. But in the end, it felt like a jumbled, confused retelling of a beloved classic. After multiple delays, this is what we got — and unfortunately, it wasn’t worth the wait.
Where do I even begin with this movie? I went into Disney’s Snow White (2025) doing my best to stay open-minded. No preconceived opinions, no early judgment — just a genuine attempt to watch the film for what it was. And how did that go, you may ask? To quote the Snow White actress herself: “Weird? Weird.” That about sums it up. Despite the effort, this film just didn’t work for me.
Before diving into my thoughts, here’s a quick overview: Snow White (2025) is Disney’s latest live-action reimagining of their 1937 animated classic. This version stars Rachel Zegler as the titular heroine and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, with a story that attempts to modernize the familiar tale of jealousy, magic, and “true love’s kiss.” The film tries to strike a balance between honoring the original and reinventing the narrative for today’s audience — with mixed results. So let’s break this down the best way I know how: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Believe it or not, there were some genuinely good elements in this film. The CGI — particularly the animals and character animation — was surprisingly solid. It looked fluid, believable, and didn’t fall into the uncanny valley trap that so many other CGI-heavy films do. The costume design also deserves praise. Gal Gadot, in particular, looked stunning in every scene. Her wardrobe, her jewelry — it was giving elegance and villainy. Most of the ensemble cast had great costume work as well… except for Snow White, which I’ll get to later. Some of the larger musical and ensemble scenes had nice visual flair. The choreography was polished, and there were a handful of genuinely funny lines sprinkled in. And Josh Gad? We will never say bad things about Josh Gad — no complaints there.
When it comes to the bad, let’s start with the elephant in the room: Snow White’s dress. For a film trying to step into a new era of storytelling, this design felt oddly regressive. Boxy, uninspired, and lacking the magic that the rest of the costume department delivered — it stood out, and not in a good way. Then there’s the lack of chemistry. The romantic subplot — if you can even call it that — between Snow White and Jonathan (Andrew Burnap) was hollow. They met twice. That’s it. And somehow, we’re expected to believe in a true love bond. It just didn’t land. The dialogue throughout the film was painfully on-the-nose. It felt like every line was trying to be an inspirational Instagram quote. You know the type: “Believe in yourself, and the world will follow.” Except it lacked depth and came off as cheesy. Not a single conversation felt real or grounded.
Now we get to the part that really stings, the ugly. This movie was too short. I can’t believe I’m saying that about a movie that I did not like, but it’s true. It felt like there were entire scenes missing — characters would say something vaguely important and then BAM — cut to a new scene. The pacing was jarring, and you could feel the patchwork from reshoots. Gal Gadot’s first musical number? Simply, what the f— was that? The staging, the movement… it felt less like an evil queen’s show-stopping solo and more like an awkward mid-2000s dance break. It really seemed like she was doing the Macarena. And the continuity issues — particularly Snow White’s hair — were distracting. Within the same scene, her hairstyle would jump around like it had a mind of its own. Reshoot evidence, obviously. But the most frustrating part? If you walked into this movie not knowing the original Snow White story, you’d be lost. The film skips over key details, assumes too much, and offers very little explanation. Even knowing the story, I left the theater confused — and not in a “let’s unpack the symbolism” kind of way, but in a “what actually just happened?” kind of way.
Snow White (2025) was a frustrating watch. There were glimpses of something good — a few decent musical numbers, some solid production design, and brief moments of humor — but it all got buried under the weight of clunky dialogue, awkward edits, and a rushed narrative. I give it a 4 out of 10. I truly wanted to enjoy this film. I went in with no bad vibes, just hope. But in the end, it felt like a jumbled, confused retelling of a beloved classic. After multiple delays, this is what we got — and unfortunately, it wasn’t worth the wait. If you’re still curious to watch it, wait for it to hit streaming. The theater trip isn’t necessary for this one.
