From the trailers of Mirror Mirror, I expected a film
filled with cheesy gimmicks, horrible writing and a decent cast that simply couldn't
pull it all together. Instead, I was shocked when I actually enjoyed the
majority of the film. Yes, some of the lines are cheesy, but you have to keep in
mind the PG rating.
Despite that rating, however, is the presence of some
pretty advanced dialogue. I don't know many elementary aged kids that know the
meaning of multisyllabic words, but it was definitely fun for the adults. The
only thing that seemed to be entirely for the kids was a ridiculously
over-the-top song and dance display shown during the end credits. It was
wince-inducing, particularly since the rest of the film had managed to avoid
any unnecessary musical numbers.
The film in no way follows the Grimm version, or even the Disney version of the
popular Snow White adventure. The story is initially presented as the evil
Queen's version but shifts to telling the story of Snow White realizing that
the Queen has decimated the kingdom Snow's father had built. I both enjoyed the
story and hated that it strayed from the original Grimm tale, although that
would have required a much higher rating.
Director Tarsem Singh's previous film was Immortals, so Mirror Mirror is quite a change of pace. I do wish that the
animation sequences had been better, but I can forgive that in exchange for the
costuming, which is gorgeous, cohesive, and occasionally a bit ridiculous in a
way that only royalty can be. The
performances from the leads are believable, if occasionally a little overkill,
particularly Armie Hammer's representation of puppy love. Julia Roberts can play crazy yet
strangely naïve very well, which works in this permutation of the Queen.
Don't let the trailers mislead you; Mirror Mirror is actually an enjoyable film with some redeemable
factors. Yes, it all wraps up nicely at the end, but the film is a unique take
on the classic fairy tale.
