Mirror Mirror (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
An evil Queen (Julia Roberts) schemes for control of her stepdaughter's throne & the attention of Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer) in 'Mirror Mirror' (directed by Tarsem Singh, The Cell, The Fall, Immortals), a spirited Grimm fairy tale reworking of Snow White & the 7 dwarves. When Snow White's (Lily Collins) beauty wins the heart of said prince, the Queen banishes her to the dark forest, where a man-eating beast awaits. Rescued by a host of bandits (the 7 dwarves), Snow White grows into a strong, proto-feminist young woman determined to help her struggling kingdom & take back her realm from the wicked Queen. With the support of her loyal subjects, she leaps into action in a battle that blends folklore, magic, & Tarsem's knack for truly wondrous & deranged visuals.
You know what kind of movie 'Mirror Mirror' is? It's the kind for kids ... OR ... for those who strain to like it because they know they would have liked it AS a kid. That's the best way I can explain my feelings for it. I liked enough of this film. There are eccentricities abounding (which is always good). There's some well-contained camp. But I think 'MM' suffers a bit from being too many things & not particularly great at any of them. Let me break it down. It has fantasy/adventure elements, but they're perfunctory (generic sword fights). It's partly a broad romantic comedy, but the leads - while decent enough - lack some chemistry. And the comedy - much of it being the tongue-in-cheek variety - is hit & miss. Nothing bad. But the only element that hit it out of the ballpark is the visuals.
The special effects are solid (great design of the forest beast). I loved the strange way in which the Queen walks into her mirror & comes out on the other side in a parallel world where she is eternally young. I love how the dwarves do their thieving on accordion-like stilts (to tower over their taller victims). The sets are wonderfully strange; macabre, yet vibrant. And Eiko Ishioka's costumes? Well, they're out of this world - with opulent shapes, sizes, colors & textures. Having just died of cancer, the Oscar-winning designer (who has worked with Tarsem many times) could gain a posthumous Oscar nom and/or win by next February.
Performance-wise, it's the Julia Roberts show. She's sarcastic, amusing, cheekily nasty & seems to be having fun in the venomous queen role. I loved her "Someone get the man a light covering" - while ogling at Armie Hammer's bare chest. As the Prince, Hammer brings an unexpected slapstick energy. It's a funny role: he's tall, dashing, honorable, everything you'd expect in a prince. And yet ... the Queen casts a spell on him which makes him act like a puppy. He spends most of the running time near-naked or tied upside down, and it's HE who needs rescuing - not Snow White {haha}.
Speaking of her, Lily Collins (singer Phil Collins' daughter) is pretty enough (huge eyebrows notwithstanding). But I would have liked someone with more charisma, really. You don't fully believe her as a warrior leader/princess. Nathan Lane, as the Queen's tormented lackey & Mare Winningham as a baker (and Snow's only palace ally) give amiable turns. And lastly, I enjoyed the morally corrupt septet of dwarves. Napoleon, Half Pint, Grimm, Grum, Butcher, Wolf, & Chuckles, have their own distinct personalities. And their 'thee stooges'-type camaraderie was humorous (to a degree).
The problem with 'Mirror Mirror' is its script; big surprise. Despite occasionally witty lines of dialogue & a few dashes of welcomed absurdism, the narrative is somewhat insubstantial & arbitrary. We all know the story of Snow White. This film tries to do something different with it. But I don't think it fully-delivered. The script lacks a real sense of adventure. There's imagination in the look of the film. But there's not enough movie magic. You may smile, you may chuckle, & you'll delight in the joyously bizarre visuals ... but you won't sit in pure wonderment. And really, as mentioned, the film is geared for kids; or those wishing to be a kid again. The silly & goofy 'Mirror Mirror' offers a lighthearted interpretation of the well-known tale. But it's ultimately little more than a mildly fun mixed bag.
You know what kind of movie 'Mirror Mirror' is? It's the kind for kids ... OR ... for those who strain to like it because they know they would have liked it AS a kid. That's the best way I can explain my feelings for it. I liked enough of this film. There are eccentricities abounding (which is always good). There's some well-contained camp. But I think 'MM' suffers a bit from being too many things & not particularly great at any of them. Let me break it down. It has fantasy/adventure elements, but they're perfunctory (generic sword fights). It's partly a broad romantic comedy, but the leads - while decent enough - lack some chemistry. And the comedy - much of it being the tongue-in-cheek variety - is hit & miss. Nothing bad. But the only element that hit it out of the ballpark is the visuals.
The special effects are solid (great design of the forest beast). I loved the strange way in which the Queen walks into her mirror & comes out on the other side in a parallel world where she is eternally young. I love how the dwarves do their thieving on accordion-like stilts (to tower over their taller victims). The sets are wonderfully strange; macabre, yet vibrant. And Eiko Ishioka's costumes? Well, they're out of this world - with opulent shapes, sizes, colors & textures. Having just died of cancer, the Oscar-winning designer (who has worked with Tarsem many times) could gain a posthumous Oscar nom and/or win by next February.
Performance-wise, it's the Julia Roberts show. She's sarcastic, amusing, cheekily nasty & seems to be having fun in the venomous queen role. I loved her "Someone get the man a light covering" - while ogling at Armie Hammer's bare chest. As the Prince, Hammer brings an unexpected slapstick energy. It's a funny role: he's tall, dashing, honorable, everything you'd expect in a prince. And yet ... the Queen casts a spell on him which makes him act like a puppy. He spends most of the running time near-naked or tied upside down, and it's HE who needs rescuing - not Snow White {haha}.
Speaking of her, Lily Collins (singer Phil Collins' daughter) is pretty enough (huge eyebrows notwithstanding). But I would have liked someone with more charisma, really. You don't fully believe her as a warrior leader/princess. Nathan Lane, as the Queen's tormented lackey & Mare Winningham as a baker (and Snow's only palace ally) give amiable turns. And lastly, I enjoyed the morally corrupt septet of dwarves. Napoleon, Half Pint, Grimm, Grum, Butcher, Wolf, & Chuckles, have their own distinct personalities. And their 'thee stooges'-type camaraderie was humorous (to a degree).
The problem with 'Mirror Mirror' is its script; big surprise. Despite occasionally witty lines of dialogue & a few dashes of welcomed absurdism, the narrative is somewhat insubstantial & arbitrary. We all know the story of Snow White. This film tries to do something different with it. But I don't think it fully-delivered. The script lacks a real sense of adventure. There's imagination in the look of the film. But there's not enough movie magic. You may smile, you may chuckle, & you'll delight in the joyously bizarre visuals ... but you won't sit in pure wonderment. And really, as mentioned, the film is geared for kids; or those wishing to be a kid again. The silly & goofy 'Mirror Mirror' offers a lighthearted interpretation of the well-known tale. But it's ultimately little more than a mildly fun mixed bag.