Now Snow White is awol, this dreary and incoherent CGI mashup of plots from Frozen, Narnia and The Incredibles really cannot justify its existence.
Visual inventiveness and spectacular casting can’t quite salvage a muddled fantasy epic that, if it were a magic mirror, would be held together with gaffer tape.
Some fairytales ‘never truly end’ intones Liam Neeson’s narrator – unfortunately, this franchise feels like it has indeed run its course.
A film about backstory was always going to struggle. But while the narrative loses power as it unfolds, the cast and FX give it some sparkle.
It is just a pity that [the director] was so busy with the VFX that he never stopped to look in the mirror and to ask what on earth the film was supposed to be about.
Winter’s War ends with the promise of another sequel but on this evidence we should probably all settle for a happy-ever-after ending.
The whole gibberish story is tied together by reams of narration from Liam Neeson, whose pronouncement near the film’s conclusion that “some fairytales never truly end” sounds uncannily like a threat.
Despite a fine performance from Emily Blunt, the follow-up to Snow White and the Huntsman offers cold comfort.
General release. Check local listings for show times.