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Mirror Mirror
delivers plenty of laughs and some fantastic Tarsem magic.
Director Tarsem Singh is a visionary, his directorial eye is
artistic, and inspirational. He makes even a simple back drop leap off the
screen. Everything he touches is more painting in motion than simple green
screen. And when you pair this artistic flair with a fairytale you get pure
cinematic gold.
Mirror Mirror is a
very classical telling of Snow White with a new infusion of life. You know the
story, lovely family, Queen dies after giving birth to a beautiful baby,
leaving the king to raise her alone. The king
remarries, and then he too dies leaving his beloved daughter in the
hands of her stepmother. Snow grows into a beautiful young woman, and with the
Queen’s vanity she cannot allow anyone to be prettier, and so Snow must fall.
There’s dwarves, there’s a handsome prince, but there’s also a few twists.
The once prosperous kingdom has fallen into poverty and
disrepair as all of their money goes to feed the Queen’s ego and pay for the
opulence she craves. And worse, the kingdom, and therefore the Queen is broke, so she's in need of a new sugar daddy. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a Julia Roberts
fan, but she works here as our villain, since our evil Queen isn’t so much evil
as she is bitchy. She’s more petulant child than she is evil sorceress. In fact
our Queen doesn’t cast a single spell, instead she whines to her magic mirror,
and though the mirror tries to point out her rash actions and high price of her
desires it gets the job done.
Or atleast it tries
to, but Snow gets in the way quite a bit. Lily Collins steps into the role of
Snow White, and although she fits the classic Disney role for the look, this
princess has more spunk. Sure she starts off a little meek and mild, but once
she sees the state of her beloved kingdom, she steps into action, and that’s
where the flick gets really fun.
Armie Hammer plays the spoiled prince to perfection. And who
knew Armie could do comedy? His puppy is not only hilarious but I can’t think
of anyone who could have done it better. He plays each aspect of the prince to
perfection whether he’s being a privileged ass, a heroic savior, or needy
puppy. Few actors could have seamlessly pulled off the feat without being
absolutely ridiculous, though Armie flawlessly does.
The dwarves have always been a part of the core of the Snow
White story, and here is no difference. They play up the light hearted and
tongue in cheek aspects. And the accordion stilt work is magnificent and sets
them apart from every other incarnation before them. These guys are not whistling
while they work, though they do poke fun at mining being a suitable job,
instead they’re sword wielding “giants” that emulate Robin Hood at Snow’s insistence.
There is no huntsman, the poison apple only makes a cameo and don’t expect to hear the Queen ask
her mirror who the fairest of them all is, but Mirror Mirror is a great adaptation of Snow White. The cast works
in harmony to make the old tale feel fresh and new, each finds moments to shine
without casting shadows over the story. The use of CG isn’t overly done. Tarsem
finds clever ways to use it.
Mirror
Mirror isn’t a dark movie, instead it is a light hearted comedy with plenty of laughs. It is a family film enjoyable for children and
adults of all ages alike. Mirror Mirror opens nationwide today.
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