Snow White star’s ‘much better’ musical roles currently streaming | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV

The highly anticipated Disney remake of Snow White, starring Rachel Zegler, has been met with harsh criticism as it hits cinemas on 21st March.

This reimagining of the 1937 animated classic sees Zegler take on the iconic role of Snow White, a beautiful princess forced into servitude by her wicked stepmother, the Evil Queen, played by Gal Gadot.

Upon discovering Snow White’s growing beauty, the Queen orders her assassination, but a sympathetic huntsman (Ansu Kabia) spares her life, alerting her to the Queen’s sinister plans.

Finding refuge with a group of seven dwarfs, Snow White joins forces with them to topple the tyrannical Queen.

Despite its promising premise, this modern retelling has disappointed fans and critics alike, boasting a meagre 46 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the audience score yet to be revealed.

However, Zegler’s portrayal of Snow White has been widely praised as the film’s redeeming quality, with The Independent stating: “Rachel Zegler deserves better than the lazy, visually repellent Snow White.”

While her latest big-screen outing has been panned, two exceptional showcases of her singing and acting abilities are currently streaming and well worth watching.

West Side Story

Director Steven Spielberg‘s reimagining of the iconic Broadway musical and its 1961 film adaptation is hailed by some as one of the acclaimed filmmaker’s finest works in two decades.

Featuring a blend of stunning choreography and memorable musical numbers, West Side Story chronicles the tragic and poignant love story of Tony and Maria, two young lovers caught in the midst of a dangerous gang rivalry in 1950s New York City.

Zegler shines as María, the sister of the Sharks’ leader, a Puerto Rican gang locked in a bitter feud with the Jets, a gang of white teenagers, in this timeless romance inspired by Romeo and Juliet.

María finds herself torn between her loyalty to her own kind and her blossoming feelings for Tony (Ansel Elgort), a Jet, with whom she dreams of escaping the poverty and violence of 1950s New York.

Enthusiasts have flocked online to sing the film’s praises. A glowing five-star Google review declares: “THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE MOVIE!

“West Side Story was beautifully made. It was a huge step up from the original […] in 1961. Those who liked the original or Broadway version, I highly recommend this new version.”

Meanwhile, a fan on Letterboxd raves about Zegler’s performance: “Rachel Zegler is a revelation. Not only does she have the voice of an actual angel, but she’s also simply INCREDIBLE at internalizing María’s innocence and expressing her earnest love of life itself, lighting up the screen any time she takes center stage.

“It’s already been said a billion times, but this girl is going places – she has that tremendous movie star magnetism you can’t teach.”

West Side Story is available to stream on Disney+.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

2023 welcomed the release of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes – a prequel to the original quartet, drawn from the books by Suzanne Collins, which delighted both fans and critics. In the gripping dystopian saga, America has been reborn from the ruins of a nuclear conflict, forcing its citizens into a deadly televised contest—a fight to the death for the nation’s twisted entertainment.

A decade after the inaugural Hunger Games, interest is waning, but the man destined to become president, Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth), alters destiny when he mentors the tuneful Lucy Gray Baird (Zegler) in her quest to triumph in the savage competition.

Although not a musical in the traditional sense, this sci-fi sensation features several standout musical moments from Zegler, including a rendition of the series’ haunting anthem The Hanging Tree, showcasing her extraordinary vocal talent.

One Google review praised Zegler’s portrayal: “Her acting as Lucy Gray literally felt like she ripped her straight off of the paper. She was the most perfect Lucy Gray and I don’t think anyone else could have done her as much justice as Rachel did.

“Even more than Rachel’s acting, is her INCREDIBLE singing. We all know Rachel is a fantastic singer, but her voice in this movie is her voice like I have never heard it before.”

Meanwhile, an avid Letterboxd user confessed: “Gonna be honest with y’all this film is all that has been going through my head since the first time I watched it.”

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is available to stream on Prime Video.