Snow White is far from perfect but it's not as bad as some reviews might have you think.

2.5 out of 5

Disney are continuing the remakes of their animated classics with the release of Snow White. To be honest, this is more of a re-imagining of the old fairy tale. Yes, it retains many of the same elements but introduces new ones. When the trailer landed late last year, the Orange that lives in the White House and the Christian Nationalist Brigade in the US lit upon the film's lead character in an awful display of racism. Many branded the film woke before even seeing it and it's fair to say, a good few of the reviews I've read were written by people who haven't seen the film. Film websites such as IMDB.com have noted "unusual activity" in the ratings activity. In a world of alleged witch-hunts, there has been a demonstrable one against Snow White. I've let the furore die down and having seen the film this weekend, am putting down my thougths.

The fairy tale concerns a benevolent king and queen who welcome their daughter during a snowstorm, naming her Snow White. Years later, the queen falls ill and passes away. The king hastily remarries before mounting a campaign against an encroaching threat. When he does not return, the new queen (Gal Gadot) usurps the throne, revealing herself as an enchantress whose vanity surpasses her beauty. She reigns with terror and the kingdom is not a happy place.

One day, Snow White (played by Rachel Zeigler) sees Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), the cynical leader of a band of thieves, raiding the pantry. When he is sentenced to be tied to the gates, she frees him and gives him food. That same day, the Magic Mirror declares that Snow White is now the fairest. Enraged, the Queen orders the Royal Huntsman to take Snow White into the forest, kill her and bring her heart back in a jeweled box. The Huntsman instead warns Snow White of the Queen's intentions. At his urging, Snow White flees deep into the forest.

As the classic story goes, Snow White meets and befriends seven miners, named Doc, Grumpy, Bashful, Sleepy, Sneezy, Happy, and Dopey. They spend their days working in a diamond mine. Many people have complained about the miners and yes, they are an odd creation but once I realised that Grumpy is drawn and acts like Tommy Lee Jones, Doc looks and acts like the avuncular Richard Attenborough, Dopey looks like Alfred E Neuman from MAD Magazine and there's even an Adam Sandler lookalike!

Transforming into an old woman, the Queen finds the cottage and tricks Snow White into eating the poisoned apple by saying she is an ally of Jonathan's. She then reveals to her stepdaughter that she killed her father. Snow White falls into the "Sleeping Death," and the Queen retreats to her castle. The miners find her sleeping body upon returning. Jonathan, who escaped the Queen's dungeon with the help of the Huntsman, arrives to discover her dead and mournfully kisses her. Snow White awakens and rallies the miners and Jonathan's fellow thieves to overthrow the Evil Queen.

And they all live happily ever after.

The film retains some of the old songs from the animated original and there are newer, forgettable songs. Having siad that, I enjoyed the film. Yes, the narrative is sometimes incoherent but I wasn't sure if it was the screenplay or just my expectations of the classic fairy tale. I laughed at the jokes and there are jokes a-plenty for the parents in the cinema. Is it more politically correct that the 1937 original, yes. Doc explains that Dopey's name does not imply he is dopey.

The CGI is a little ropey in places. Having said that, Rachel Zielger is always a delight on the screen and has the singing chops to deliver the songs. Her Lord Farquad bob is unfortunate. The film shows us Gal Gadot's acting and singing limits but she appears to be having fun.

Don't believe all the bad reviews. Go see it and make up your own mind.