There's nothing quite like Hollywood's own brand of irony. Of all the roles that Kristen Stewart could have been playing when news of her cheating on Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson (aka R-Patz) broke, she had to be playing the fairest of them all, Snow White.

Still, it didn't seem to do the film any harm, as it's made nearly four hundred million dollars to date. And Rob and Kris are allegedly on talking terms again, so all's well and all that. Obviously the fact that they might be pally again has absolutely nothing to do with the studio wanting them do press together for the release of the concluding part of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn.

The film may well have not suffered financially from this supposedly scandalous announcement, but it certainly put it in the shadows for a while. With all the fuss subsiding over who shagged who, its home entertainment release may just give this title a chance to shine on its own deserving merits.

Being a single dad can be a tough job. Imagine then, also being the king of a large kingdom to boot. Luckily for King Magnus (Noah Huntley) he has found love again in the shapely shape of Ravenna (Charlize Theron).

Unfortunately for him and, as it turns out, the rest of the kingdom, Ravenna is less interested in him than he thought, to the point where she murders him. She then demands that his daughter be placed behind bars within her castle indefinitely.

She remains there for a number of years, until Snow White (Stewart) gets the opportunity to escape. With her dark powers withering, the only hope for Ravenna to stay youthful looking for eternity is to hunt down Snow White and kill her. Luckily for Snow White, she still has some supporters of her father within the kingdom, including a group of dwarves, who are prepared to protect her, whatever the cost. Brave hearts are one thing, fighting the evil queen's dark power though, is quite another.

On your profile you said you were tall, dark and handsome. When you said you were a troll, I thought you just meant you were mean online?!

This version of the famous fairy tale is far closer to the original Brothers Grimm telling, rather than the classic animated Disney version.

British director Rupert Sanders truly impresses, considering this is his directorial debut, with the entire feel of the film. The cinematography is nothing short of stunning, giving it an attractive Tolkien-esque quality, but without the impenetrable storyline and dullness of the Lord of the Rings films.

Stewart doesn't have to do that much – probably due to the fact she had a lot on her mind with... personal matters – but does just enough to keep her character relevant. Chris Hemsworth puts on an entertaining performance as the eponymous huntsman, if only for his peculiar accent, which sounds like he's doing an impression of Sean Connery after suffering from a minor stroke.

Theron also makes a believable baddie, but she could have gone even darker as the evil queen.

Without doubt the most enjoyable roles are given by quite possibly the greatest dwarf line-up since last year's panto at the Grimsby Auditorium (starring Marlene from Only Fools & Horses as the evil Witch); Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Ray Winstone, Nick Frost, Eddie Marsan, Johnny Harris, Toby Jones and Brian Gleeson were all digitally shrunky-dunk to play the magnificent seven (+1?!) to great effect.

It's also a relief for a film like this to be able to work as a standalone film, without just being an introduction to yet another on-going franchise. That said, there are not only rumours of a sequel, but the possibility of Sanders and Stewart being attached, as it were.

Sanders (who only directed TV adverts before this), has proven that he not only has a great eye for direction and on-screen spectacle, he can also multi-task on set, albeit at the expense of R-Patz's broken heart.

By taking a classic fairy tale like this, and giving it a Game of Thrones make-over (but without all the boobies, naturally), Sanders has produced a darkly enthralling mash-up that has all the right ingredients to entertain a modern audience, both young and old, with a tale well told.