It's an interesting retelling of Snow White, and I rather enjoyed the idea of Snow White ending up with the Huntsman as opposed to the fairly personality-less prince.
One gets the feeling with this film, though, that Snow White (portrayed by Kristen Stewart) deserves the prince with no personality, as she has very little personality herself. I cannot call this film completely awful, because casting Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman I believe was an excellent choice. He is full of animation and character, even a bit godlike (Thor-reference intended) and is the perfect hero for the film.
You get sort of a Twilight feeling with this film, though, because Kristen Stewart makes what was supposed to be warrior-Snow White seem like she needs all the supporting cast to give her a personality and save her. She isn't her own person in this film or the Twilight films.
Charlize Theron, being the excellent villain that she is, ends up overacting and makes her role seem extremely over-dramatic. Obviously, the evil queen is supposed to be desperate and, well, evil, but you get the feeling that Theron is actually over-acting to make up for Stewart's lack of it.
Even when she's supposed to be happy, you get the feeling that nothing is going on in her head. Stewart's method of acting seems to be empty one's head of everything and say your lines. Toward the end, when she makes her speech to rally the troops, it is the most emotional we have ever seen her in the film and I had high hopes. Unfortunately, due to the writing, she essentially said nothing, and I feel like the passion of the troops was totally non sequitur to her speech.
The only parts of the film that had characters I and others didn't hate were the bits with only the dwarfs and with the children at the beginning. Time was not kind to Snow White. She seemed to have lost not only her personality but her looks as well. Kristen Stewart's lack of acting seems to make everyone saying she's pure disingenuous, and even with Chris Hemsworth staring at her in love and admiration trying to convince you that she's worthy of it, as you watch her you get the feeling that perhaps he injured his head at some point previously.
Even Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron, the most likable characters for the majority of the film, make you hate them because of the writing of the film. Perhaps the director told Charlize Theron to overact, but both ended up seeming ridiculous because of the writing.
The religious bit confused me too: at a point toward the beginning of the film, Snow White says an Our Father and acts pious, but not only was there no religion in the original Snow White, there are no other references to religion throughout the film. You'd think there were many points where she might pray, but did not, so I can't see why they felt the need to include it at the beginning. It certainly wasn't to make the film longer. It was too long already.
Thus, I give this film a 3/10, and I can only hope that if they actually go through with Snow White and the Huntsman 2, they change the casting of Snow White to an actress more suited to the role. Dye Emma Watson's hair black and cast her (if she isn't tired of acting nowadays...)! I wouldn't mind it, honestly. Also, they might need to change writers...and director...and most things about the film...except the visual effects and Chris Hemsworth. I'd say don't change Theron, but her character died, so...