MIRROR, MIRROR

MIRROR, MIRROR is Immensely Fun!
by Reymundo Salao

MIRROR, MIRROR is a fantasy adventure movie adaptation of the fairy tale SNOW WHITE (AND THE SEVEN DWARVES) It’s directed by Tarsem Singh, who directed “The Cell”, “The Fall” and “Immortals”, and stars Lily Collins as Snow White, the ever-funny Nathan Lane, Armie Hammer, and Julia Roberts as the wickedly amusing Evil Queen.

This movie is something that has a little too many of almost everything you can get from a movie that promises pure fun and entertainment. It’s got funny bandit dwarves, evil magic, a monster that haunts the forest, and swashbuckling action. It is one of those movies where all the elements of the movie work so harmoniously. From the acting, to the lavish and pleasantly bizarre costumes, to the special effects, the concept, the story, and the direction itself. All these factors complement each other to create such an enjoyable masterpiece.

Lily Collins is so effortlessly adorable and so natural, that she does not look like she’s acting at all; she just simply is cute. My favorite scenes with her is when she joined with the bandit dwarves; I loved it when she was doing some swashbuckling action, because even though she’s wielding a sword, somehow she still maintains that very princess-like poise.

Nathan Lane is ever amusing, Armie Hammer is great in playing a prince who goes through non-stereotypical circumstances, and all the dwarves played by Mark Povinelli, Danny Woodburn, Jordan Prentice, Ronald Lee Clark, Sebastian Saraceno, Martin Klebba, and Joe Gnoffo were all hilariously amazing to watch, and they were pretty much my favorite characters in the movie.

And then there’s Julia Roberts who played the evil Queen Clementianna. This time, as she plays the villain, and looks like she’s deliciously enjoying every moment of it. She does give the role more than enough spice. Her hilarious wickedness, with great little twisted lines, and the degree of wit she personally delivers to the role are precious cinematic moments that make this movie so fun to watch.

That one song attached with the movie, which is being played at the end credits of the movie; I really have to say that that is a stupid song. But the movie is so good and so effective, that it got me playing that song in my head over and over again hours after the movie.

MIRROR MIRROR’s script is excellently-written; so rich with wit. Its script makes it more comedy than fairy tale. The movie preserves the essence of the original, but injects new elements to make it more timeless and interesting. Granted, there might be unexpected changes, but it all works in the context of the story, and it’s not as drastic as to completely change the feel of the source material (like what they did in the other movie where they made Snow White look like an iron-clad Conan the Barbarian)

The costumes are so lavish, stylish, and positively weird; it makes you feel like you are watching a music video from Bjork. The movie’s genre is not centered only for one demographic, as it also has some action on it; what with the swashbuckling bandits, and the gigantic creatures sent by the Queen to kill Snow White, there are sword-fights and awesome action scenes to balance out the comedy and the fantasy.

MIRROR, MIRROR is perfectly fun-filled, and quirkily weird in a very positive manner. This is the kind of movie that can give you a big smile even hours after you've seen the movie!