This review comes a week or two too late, since anyone interested in Hollywood's latest fairytale offering, Mirror Mirror, has probably already seen it. But I thought I'd do a brief write-up regardless.
Mirror Mirror is a retelling of Snow White, starring Julia Roberts as the evil stepmother Queen, Arnie Hammer as Prince Alcott, and Lily Collins - daughter of musician Phil Collins - as Snow White herself.
I have been looking forward to this film for over a year - ever since the first publicity photos emerged last year - but going in to watch it last week, I had fairly low expectations, having read a lot of mixed reviews. I anticipated a silly, though hopefully pleasant and amusing 90 minutes.
Here ends the sensible part of this review, and here commences the fangirly part. Here is an approximate summary of my thoughts as I walked out of the cinema after watching Mirror Mirror.
- The seven dwarves are fabulous!
- Lily Collins is flawless and I adore her! She SO looks like Audrey Hepburn! She also reminds me of a young Jennifer Connelly.
- The costumes are amazing, as I had been led to expect they would be, though I thought Snow White's swan dress, or more specifically, her headdress at the ball struck me as being - well - just faintly ridiculous. Just a little over-the-top for our young heroine - reminiscent of Audrey's overwhelmingly "up" up-do at the ball in My Fair Lady.
- Bonus Sean Bean! And his character doesn't die! Well, he sort of does, but actually doesn't, as you'll understand if you've seen the movie. I'll watch anything for Sean, and to have bonus Sean Bean in a movie is always - well - a bonus.
- Silly "feminist" twist on the story is silly! I mean, Snow White becoming an adept fighter in a matter of days. . . sure, whatever. But it's a silly, light-hearted film, so the feminist-lite aspect of the retelling - also evident in other parts of the film, such as when Snow has to kiss the Prince to save the day, rather than other way round - didn't bother me as much as it would have done if we were supposed to take it seriously.
- I LOVE the random Bollywood song at the end! It's so random, and quirky, and unexpected! In short, it fits the film perfectly. It's also ridiculously catchy. I had "I believe I believe I believe in love" going through my head for hours...
- Prince Alcott/Arnie Hammer is kind of cute. Not my type, but still - cute. Handsome princes are never unwelcome in any movie, as far as I'm concerned!
- Julia Roberts was good as the Queen. She often annoys me as a heroine, but I liked her as a villainess. (!)
- This movie is visually stunning. Not just the costumes, but the animated opening scene, the breathtaking landscapes, and imaginative sets.
- Music composed by Alan Menken, who also composed the music for most of the best Disney movies from the last couple of decades!
As well the occasional cheeky humour, some parents may also be concerned about the "magic" element in this fairytale film. Only the "bad guys" use magic, and it's always portrayed as evil, but there were a couple of scenes that might be a bit much for little ones. Mirror Mirror is marketed as a family film, but I'd say it's more of a teen movie. . . age 10-12 and up. If you enjoyed recent fairytale films from Disney - I'm thinking of Enchanted, Tangled - you'll like Mirror Mirror, though needless to say it isn't of the same calibre of Tangled, or the classic Disney princess movies.
Nonetheless, it gets two thumbs up from me! I adored this film. . . as I am sure you've gathered, so I'll stop now.
If you've seen Mirror Mirror, let me know what you thought! And if you have any recommendations for quirky fantasy or fairytale films, please share them!
Christian reviews of Mirror Mirror:
Plugged In
NC Register
Charity's Place
Christianity Today
Picturrrres! Click on thumbnails to view larger.
