The original animated 1937 Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs was branded “Disney’s folly” before release, but soon became a landmark artistic and box-office success. This new live-action version, while similarly plagued with bad buzz and reports of creative chaos, seems unlikely to have such a lasting or significant impact. Despite committed performances from its leads and years of edits and re-edits, it can’t establish a consistent tone through its real and artificial locations.

Director Marc Webb follows the Kenneth Branagh Cinderella playbook closely: he gives his hero a plucky mantra and a love interest with a backstory that goes beyond “charming”. Rachel Zegler’s wide-eyed Snow White doesn’t just hope her prince will come; she wants to be a good leader for her people, restore their faith in the social contract and with it, their empathy for one another. That’s commendable (and politically timely), but the...