“Snow White and the Huntsman” received mixed reception from critics and the box office and some behind-the-scenes drama came to light regarding the director and Kristen Stewart. Nevertheless, Universal has decided to return to the series by focusing on the Chris Hemsworth-led Huntsmen. NYU was treated to an early screening courtesy of Universal.

“The Huntsman” serves as both a prequel and sequel to the events of Snow White, explaining that the huntsmen are actually children soldiers the Snow Queen kidnaps and raises to be her personal army, with Chris Hemsworth and Jessica Chastain as her most valuable assets. But when the two form a relationship, she separates them, as Hemsworth is exiled in the original film. Cut to the present, Hemsworth is recruited by the king to retrieve the magic mirror, which has been radiating dark magic and disappeared.

The film improves on the original by making Hemsworth the lead. While Kristen Stewart’s Snow White was a bit of a cipher, Hemsworth’s Huntsman is given a defined character that he pulls off effortlessly. “He finds a solid foil in the ever-versatile Chastain, whose no-nonsense character complements his charm and energy.

Their “will they, won’t they” relationship hits a series of somewhat familiar and fairly predictable beats, with various twists and turns, giving the story just enough life, but not enough to make it feel particularly compelling. Any engagement is from the charisma of the two leads, with a few surprisingly dark turns that tease us with a more fascinating movie.

The third act bursts to life with the help of the villainess. Anyone who remembers the original film remembers it for Charlize Theron’s manic portrayal of a scenery chewing, magic spamming queen. This time around, she is given a challenger in the form of Emily Blunt, who, while not as grandiose as Theron, holds her own. Once the film gets to the final act, where the two sisters come to blows, the film jolts to life and becomes an absolute blast, as we watch the two shoot magic and hurl insults.

What helps “The Huntsman” is that everything good about the original is seen here. Once again, the film’s world is delightfully creative. The film’s visions of magic and creatures are fresh and utterly fascinating. The highlights are probably the liquid gold of the magic mirror and a horde of goblins who are part ape, centaur and ram.

The leads have more than enough raw charisma to carry the story to the more magical bits, where sheer creativity makes the film a strange, silly, yet oddly watchable B movie.

“The Huntsman: Winter’s War” will be released in area theaters on April 21.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday April 18 print edition. Email Carter Glace at [email protected].