Sandy Kenyon review: "The Huntsman: Winter's War"

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Two royal sisters at war.

"The Huntsman: Winter's War" hits theaters this weekend, and it's loaded with big stars.

The word 'fan' should never apply to a critic, but if I was allowed to have favorites, then Emily Blunt and Jessica Chastain would be on my short list.

So I went to see "The Huntsman: Winter's War" with high hopes.

Emily Blunt makes a bold bid for stardom as 'Freya', the younger sister of Charlize Theron's character from the first film.

Her older sister conspires to kill her daughter, which leaves her power unleashed.

From her kingdom in the forbidding and frozen north, Freya rules using children she captures and transforms into soldiers.

The two best looking are played by Chris Hemsworth and Jessica Chastain, but romance is forbidden by 'The Ice Queen', who appears to have Sara killed.

Flash forward a few years and surprise, Sara is still alive. Her demise, an illusion, which is good for us because these stars work well together.

I just wish the story made more sense, and there wasn't as much meandering about in search of a magic mirror.

By the time Charlize re-appeared to collect her paycheck late in the film, I was counting the minutes until this could be over.

But Trinity Chavez, who accompanied me to a screening, begs to differ.

She "loved everything about the movie, especially the strong cast", and "looks forward to taking her friends to see it again!"

"Huntsman: Winter's War" will likely fall somewhere between a hit and a flop as the split between my guest and myself plays out at the box office.

The movie has the misfortune to go up against the popular "Jungle Book", which could eventually gross $1 billion worldwide.