Mirror, Mirror is live, fresh take on the Snow White fairytale. This statement alone begs me to ask, “Is this necessary?” and “what new life can be brought to draw folks in?” Well, as directed by Tarsem Singh (Immortals, The Cell) with a screenplay by Marc Klein (Serendipity), Mirror, Mirror hopes to deliver to its audience a family friendly film that has just the right blend of humor, action and suspense to leave all audience members leaving the theater satisfied with their viewing experience. That frankly is quite a hill to climb, and at least for me, it ultimately missed the mark.
As I mentioned in my opening paragraph, Mirror, Mirror is a re-imagining of the classic fairytale with more than a few twists – one of these twists includes the characterization and dynamic between Snow White (Lily Collins) and The Handsome Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer). Snow White is mainly a sweet, retiring orphan forced to live under her Evil Queen of a stepmother’s (Julia Roberts) rule, but when banished from the kingdom and left for dead, gains an independent spirit and becomes a force to be reckoned with. For his part, the Prince is somewhat emasculated when compared to his source material’s counterpart. When they are together, it is portrayed more as a partnership of equals; there is no real “rescuing” here. For an added touch, the Seven Dwarfs are no longer the affable woodland dwellers that reside in many an imagination. Here, they are a group of gruff, thieving, lawless outsiders, rejected the kingdom when the Evil Queen declares them as not being “pretty enough.” Not to worry – this is a modern telling of the story after all, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
So it begs to be asked, just who is this film for? It seems to position itself with the tween crowd, as some of the humor and references may be over the head of anyone younger than 10 years of age. Therein lies the difficulty of course.
I should state for the record one certainty – I am NOT the target demographic for this film. Luckily for me, there was a group of Girl Scouts seated in my row at the press screening I attended last week. Now if I use them (particularly the older, apparently teenaged girls) as a barometer of the film’s ‘aims,’ then YES, this was a fun and entertaining film. Even some of the adults (including myself) had a chuckle or two. But for everyone else outside and in between I am not so sure. Note that there are a couple of tense/threatening/imperiled moments in the film, but nothing extraordinary. However, as I have alluded to, keep in mind that some of the material may not be suited for your progeny (Note: the film was rated PG).
Given the material, the acting by the ensemble was perfectly adequate, but nothing extraordinary. And for as much was made of Julia Roberts “going bad” in her portrayal of the Evil Queen, but as you may have guessed by now, it is principally a comedy evil.
I am familiar with but have not seen any of Mr. Singh’s previous films that include the “swords-and-sandals” romp Immortals as well at the Jennifer Lopez psychological thriller The Cell. Based on his previous work, I would say that selecting him to do a film such as Mirror, Mirror is a curious choice. But hey, Robert Rodriguez was able to helm the relatively successful Spy Kids franchise.
On the bright side (and I mean REALLY bright), the costumes and sets were gorgeous. However, there was heavy reliance on CGI – a little too much at times for my taste.
In the end, the sums don’t add up for me, I am afraid.
Candice Frederick says
awww…i rather enjoyed this.
iluvcinema says
Overall, I think the consensus of reviews are mixed; we have just proved that theory out 😀
Scott Lawlor says
Interesting to see some different views of this. Nice review my friend.
I have only just found out that Lily Collins is Phil Collins daughter! Which makes her cooler in my book
Scott Lawlor recently posted..Cinema Review – The Cabin in the Woods
iluvcinema says
I sometimes do not like when we are told of an actor’s parentage. Because throughout the movie you end up (at least I do) looking for a familial resemblance.
Thanks for your comment Scott!
iluvcinema recently posted..Tuesday’s Overlooked Film: Mystic Pizza (1988)
sati says
Nice review! I think the movie looks too silly and goofy but the costumes indeed look gorgeous.
sati recently posted..Michael Fassbender Appreciation
iluvcinema says
Thanks Sati.
Like I said (briefly) in the review. This film will definitely work for some people. I think that is why the reviews are basically split down the middle.
iluvcinema recently posted..Tuesday’s Overlooked Film: Mystic Pizza (1988)
Max says
I wanted to see this once I saw the costume design. Then I saw the trailer. Ugh. I will wait to see this in rental form somewhere down the line.
Max recently posted..Total Recall Trailer
iluvcinema says
i think you and i were of the same mind initially.
The Focused Filmographer says
the blend of comedy and evil didn’t work for me from Julia. She did evil quite well though.
I didn’t mind the film overall.
The Focused Filmographer recently posted..Review: Mirror Mirror
iluvcinema says
it is funny because immediately afterwards I was ambivalent about the film. but after letting it swim around in my head and talking to a friend who hasn’t see in about the experience, I realized that I just did not connect with the film – all except for the beautiful bold colors 🙂