Ahead of the wide release of Disneys Snow White, the films first reviews from critics have been rolling in on Wednesday, and theyve been decidedly mixed.

Directed by Marc Webb, the live-action adaptation of the 1937 Disney animated classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs sees a princess, Snow White (Rachel Zegler), join forces with seven dwarfs to liberate her kingdom from her cruel stepmother, the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot).

For years, the film has been under fire for a combination of controversies, including Zeglers casting and her opinionated remarks about the original animated film. The star also drew heat for her hostile reaction to Donald Trumps re-election (she later apologized) and her pro-Palestine stance. People on social media have also attempted to paint a feuding narrative between Zegler and Gadot, the latter of which has spoken out against antisemitism and advocated for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. As of Wednesday afternoon,Snow White had a score of 48 percent from 80 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and clocked in at 47 percent on Metacritic from 37 reviews.

Andrew Burnap and Emilia Faucher round out the cast, with Andrew Barth Feldman, Tituss Burgess, Martin Klebba, Jason Kravits, George Salazar, Jeremy Swift and Andy Grotelueschen lending their voices for the CGI seven dwarfs.

Read on for key excerpts from some of the most prominent early reviews ahead of the wide release of Snow White on March 21.

The Hollywood Reporters chief film critic David Rooney wrote in his review, None of that background noise matters inMarc Webbs vibrant retelling, from a smart script by Erin Cressida Wilson that reshapes a story about a princess dreaming of her knight in shining armor into one in which she finds the courage to be a leader, capable of following in her noble fathers footsteps. That desire is expressed with passionate feeling in Waiting on a Wish, the standout of the new songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

IndieWires Kate Erbland wrote, It doesnt always fit seamlessly together, but its far more entertaining than that might lead on. This is a spirited and sweet spin on classic material that deserves kudos for its balance of necessary updates and affection for the old ways. Mostly, its a reminder of whats actually worth considering and critiquing: the final product. This one is good.

Peter Bradshaw with The Guardian wrote in his review, Here is a pointless new live-action musical version of theSnow Whitemyth, a kind of un-Wicked approach to the story and a merch-enabling money machine. Where other movies are playfully reimagining the backstories of famous villains, this one plays it straight, but with carefully curated revisionist tweaks. These are all too obviously agonising and backlash-second-guessing, but knowing that at some basic level the brand identity has to be kept pristine. This is particularly evident in the costume design, with which the wicked witch gets a pointy dark crown and skull-hugging black balaclava and Snow White is lumbered with a supermarket-retail tweenie outfit with puffy-sleeved shoulders. Those otherwise estimable performers Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot are now forced to go through the motions, and they give the dullest performances of their lives.

The Wall Street Journals Kyle Smith wrote, Disneys first Snow White isnt perfect the prince is badly underwritten and doesnt even get a name but it is, by turns, enchanting, scary and moving. Version 2.0, starringRachel Zeglerin the title role andGal Gadotas her nefarious stepmother, has been in the works since 2016 and already feels like its from a bygone era. After fans seemed grumpy about the rumored storyline and the casting of Ms. Zegler, Disney became bashful about releasing it last March and ordered reshoots to make everyone happy. Unfortunately, the story is so dopey it made me sleepy.

Vultures Alison Willmore wrote, I dont actually know how to judge these live action Disney remakes on any relative scale of quality. The bar issolow, and what people seem to want from them a tickle of nostalgia, the familiar rendered new on a technicality, 109 minutes of child-friendly distraction feels so different from the usual standards. So:Snow Whiteis not as bad as it could be, while not being anywhere near good? Its better than, say,Aladdin, which was awful but nevertheless made a literal billion dollars. Its garishly ugly and padded out with new tunes from Pasek and Paul that are as smooth and unremarkable as river rocks, all of which may or may not matter to its target audience, who could just be basing their decision about whether to see the movie on how unacceptably woke social media has informed them it is. But while the movie itself is devoid of delight, there is something delightful about getting to actually see the thing after the years ofculture war skirmishesthat have preceded its release like a wrathful red carpet, and discovering its about lefty infighting.

USA Todays movie critic Brian Truitt wrote in his review, Not only does the newSnow Whiteavoidbeing the poison appleof Disney live-action redos, it actually manages to put some extra musical mojo on a ubiquitous fairy tale. Director Marc Webbs vision honors but also blows up the template of the original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The better-than-expected revamp strips away some of the forgettable matter no charming princes here! Most importantly, White gives an inspired Rachel Zegler a different character arc and a smattering of original songs to let Snow strut as the fairest of them all.

Johnny Oleksinski with the New York Post wrote, Mirror, mirror on the wall, whos the laziest of them all? Thatd be Disney, the creativity-starved studio that has seemingly lost all ability or inclination to make new hits and would ratherrifle through its back cataloginstead. This time, the House of Mouse has gone all the way back to its first full-length feature film, 1937s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The result? Heigh-ho-hum. The timeless classic, a groundbreaking achievement for animation, has been turned into another pointless and awkward live-action automaton that vanishes from your mind the second its over. Modernizing the lovably retro Snow White was a dopey idea to begin with, and, while the execution isnt horrible, the formulaic update is sleepy.

Empires Helen OHara wrote in her review, Its no shame on Zegler, Gadot or even Webb, who you can feel straining for impact in bits of zippy dialogue or a fun comic moment. There are scenes and sequences here that work beautifully, thanks to them. But the film feels compromised and so small; like its been Frankensteined into submission in the edit and cut and recut 100 times. You can sense studio interference, scared to put dwarves in the film but also frightened to leave them out; afraid to focus on a princess but reluctant to reimagine her too far; terrified to lean into cartooniness or to rely on realism. Disney has attempted to just replicate the past instead of trying to do something new. Thats the greatest folly of all.

Ross Bonaime with Collider wrote, Considering the pressure this movie has going against it in remaking one of Disneys first true masterpieces and their first-ever animated feature, its surprising how wellSnow Whitepulls off this update. Its not nearly perfect, and it can get sloppy at times in trying to bring this story up to date, but its earnestness and heart mostly make up for these flaws.Snow Whitedeserved an update of sorts, and this is an admirable new take that certainly is one of the better live-action remakes from Disney.It might not be the fairestSnow Whiteof all, but its an admirable effort nonetheless.

The Los Angeles Times film critic Amy Nicholson wrote in her review, Ten years ago when Disney started releasing live-action adaptations of its animated classics, its executives must have thought remakes were a no-brainer way to print money and please fans. This one has beenassailed at every turn. So much for a happily-ever-after. As it turns out, todays Snow White isnt even that galvanizing. The new songs are forgettable and the animation is cluttered with every pixel competing to show off. There are too many leaves, too many petals and too many pores on the fully animated dwarfs, who bound into the movie with noses the size of pears.

David Fear with Rolling Stone wrote, The whole thing feels so bland and perfunctory to a fault that its surprising to think that this was the movie that caused such an uproar for nearly two years and a dozen news cycles. You can feel the strain of trying to appeal to everyone, court both the purists and the pro-modernization contingent, be as non-offensive as possible and still manage to satisfy next to no one. This Snow White may not be the worst live-action adaptation of an animated touchstone, though its a strong contender for its blandest. The movie does earn points as a bedtime story, however, because it will definitely put you to sleep.