“If it’s a fairy tale you’re looking for, prepare yourselves for so much more,” intones ice queen Freya (Emily Blunt doing her best impersonation of Galadriel), followed by some rumbling EDM in the first trailer for The Huntsman: Winter’s War. What you should prepare yourself for is to root for the fabulous duo of Freya and her resurrected sister Ravenna (Charlize Theron, gamely returning from Snow White and the Huntsman) and not for Freya’s huntsmen-gone-rogue.
Sure, it’s super cheesy that Freya, after suffering a heartbreak, trains young children to wear leather, wield multiple hatchets, and (most importantly) harden their hearts against loving one another. And of course not even a wall of ice can stop Sara (Jessica Chastain) and Eric (Chris Hemsworth, also back) from consummating their love in Thor’s pool from Avengers: Age of Ultron. But that forbidden love story seems much less interesting than learning what would drive a queen, once she gets power over all the land after her older sister’s untimely death, to revive said sibling. Theron also acts better in that top image than Eric or Sara in the whole rest of the trailer. Though yay for bringing the dwarves back!
The Huntsman: Winter’s War draws battle lines on April 22, 2016.
