Watch: The Huntsman Winter War trailer is all fire and ice

Like it or not, Universal has handed a fantasy franchise to Chris Hemsworth and after being bedazzled by the film’s character posters and an excellent first trailer, we have to accept that there’s something in the decision.

The Huntsman: Winter War is one film which has been ahead of the audience in every which way. When they announced the cast, we had some doubts. How could you boot out Kristen Stewart out of her own female-centric franchise, Snow White and the Huntsman, and establish eight-pack-abbed Thor in her place?

Emily Blunt and Charlize Theron in Huntsman.

Like it or not, Universal has handed a fantasy franchise to Chris Hemsworth and after being bedazzled by the film’s character posters and an excellent first trailer, we have to accept that there’s something in the decision. The gender ramifications, meanwhile, is a discussion for another time.

Chris Hemsworth in The Huntsman.

Watch the trailer here

The film’s debut director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan is a visual effects artist and his style reflects in the scintillating visuals of the trailer. He got an Oscar nomination for Snow White (Best Visual Effects) and his artistry is in display as Emily Blunt’s Snow Queen and Charlize theron’s Evil Queen wreck havoc in a world where, they believe, men have “forgotten fear”. A partiular sequence where Theron is surrounded by glass shards and has black grease flowing out of her face is especially striking. By the way after Mad Max and Imperator Furiosa, what’s with Theron and black grease?

Jessica Chastain in The Huntsman.

From what is apparent in the trailer, Freya the Ice Queen (Emily Blunt), younger sister of Ravenna the Evil Queen (Charlize Theron), trains children into her Huntsmen (Chris Hemsworth and Jessica Chastain). Hemsworth and Chastain are also doomed as star-crossed lovers given how Huntsmen end. There is an all-powerful mirror for which the Huntsmen are ready to take on the two queens and their armies.

With an inspired cast of Theron, Blunt, Hemsworth and Chastain, and all the ice and thunder special effects can envision, this may turn out to be another fantasy franchise which will launch multiple films. Alas, Snow White Stewart will have nothing to do with it.