Thursday, April 12, 2012

Mirror Mirror

I saw Mirror Mirror nearly a week ago, and the fact that it's taken me this long to say anything about it probably says quite a bit about the movie.  It was exactly what it looked like it would be in the previews--silly, fluffy, harmless.  The costumes were colorful and bizarre.  The performances were lighthearted and amiable.  The story was straightforward and low-stakes.   Really, I'm not sure there's much more to be said about Mirror Mirror. 

At some point before seeing the film, I remember learning that it was directed by Tarsem (or Tarsem Singh, depending where in the credits one looks), the mind behind one of the most fascinating moves I've seen in the last year, The Fall.  There are plenty of criticisms one can lob against The Fall, but one thing it can't be accused of is being generic.  For what it's worth, I liked the film quite a bit.

So when Tarsem's name came up in the credits, I realized I'd forgotten his role in the film altogether--and then immediately found myself unsurprised to see it there.  The film did have a certain visual flair.  However, I found myself more reminded of the decade-old miniseries The Tenth Kingdom than The Fall.  Granted, a lot of that came from the puppy-tinged relationship between the Prince and the Evil Queen.

One positive I will offer is this: I liked that many of the seven dwarves were established beyond just one character trait (Sleepy, Grumpy, etc.)  Granted, they weren't that much more defined, but any time you have that many characters sharing all their camera time it's hard to establish complete personalities.  They were even given a backstory, and an explanation for why they all came together.  It was a refreshing touch.

Overall, I'd rate the movie as harmless and fluffy.  I laughed a few times and promptly forgot about it.

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