Mirrormask 3/5 reviewed by Mike
I have been a long time fan of Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's work in the comic book field. They've produced some really great work. So when I saw that they had this movie, "Mirrormask," I got kindof excited.
Let me start by saying this is one of the wierdest movies I've ever seen. Basically, a young girl's mother becomes seriously ill. Of course the girl (Helena) feels responsible. Before she can deal with her feelings she is pulled into a wierd and magical fantasty world (courtesy of the Jim Henson company). We don't really know if this is a dream Helena is having, or if its somehow real, or if she's going insane, or what. In any case, she quickly discovers she must go on a quest to save the queen of this world. We don't really know why she must do this, but she seems confused as well, so we can go along with it.
What I expected from this movie was something similar to Gaiman's other work--something like "Death: the High Cost of Living," or something like that. Instead, this movie would feel more at home next to "The Neverending Story," "Alice in Wonderland," or "Labrinth." The story really isn't that compelling, and neither are the characters. I was hoping for deeper characterization, and a more compelling plot. Alas, I was disapointed. Thats not to say that the story is bad, it's just not well developed. Younger children (to which this movie seems to be aimed at) might get sucked into the world, without noticing some of the plot holes. The theme of masks and what they symbolize is interesting, but it isn't explored far enough to get you thinking.
Clearly, this is a visual movie. The story is almost an excuse for the visuals, which are very wierd, but very amazing, nonetheless. Everything you see looks like it might have come out the world of the "Myst" videogames. The sets and designs all come from Helena's drawings, which are very stylized, and kindof cool. Everything is computer animated--it seems that about 85% of the movie was just two or three actors and a greenscreen, with everything added afterwards. This definitely adds to the feeling of being in a completely different world, where the laws of physics no longer apply. It's pretty cool if you're looking to escape into a wholly "other" world. I'm just telling you--the images are wierd. And interesting.
Overall, this is worth seeing just for the interesting wierdness of it all. Younger people may find it more interesting. I think kids would enjoy this movie the way I enjoyed Labrinth and Neverending Story when I was a kid. I just wish the plot was stronger. I wanted to be drawn into the film emotionally rather than just visually. But its so strong visually, that it might just be worth watching a few times.
Let me start by saying this is one of the wierdest movies I've ever seen. Basically, a young girl's mother becomes seriously ill. Of course the girl (Helena) feels responsible. Before she can deal with her feelings she is pulled into a wierd and magical fantasty world (courtesy of the Jim Henson company). We don't really know if this is a dream Helena is having, or if its somehow real, or if she's going insane, or what. In any case, she quickly discovers she must go on a quest to save the queen of this world. We don't really know why she must do this, but she seems confused as well, so we can go along with it.
What I expected from this movie was something similar to Gaiman's other work--something like "Death: the High Cost of Living," or something like that. Instead, this movie would feel more at home next to "The Neverending Story," "Alice in Wonderland," or "Labrinth." The story really isn't that compelling, and neither are the characters. I was hoping for deeper characterization, and a more compelling plot. Alas, I was disapointed. Thats not to say that the story is bad, it's just not well developed. Younger children (to which this movie seems to be aimed at) might get sucked into the world, without noticing some of the plot holes. The theme of masks and what they symbolize is interesting, but it isn't explored far enough to get you thinking.
Clearly, this is a visual movie. The story is almost an excuse for the visuals, which are very wierd, but very amazing, nonetheless. Everything you see looks like it might have come out the world of the "Myst" videogames. The sets and designs all come from Helena's drawings, which are very stylized, and kindof cool. Everything is computer animated--it seems that about 85% of the movie was just two or three actors and a greenscreen, with everything added afterwards. This definitely adds to the feeling of being in a completely different world, where the laws of physics no longer apply. It's pretty cool if you're looking to escape into a wholly "other" world. I'm just telling you--the images are wierd. And interesting.
Overall, this is worth seeing just for the interesting wierdness of it all. Younger people may find it more interesting. I think kids would enjoy this movie the way I enjoyed Labrinth and Neverending Story when I was a kid. I just wish the plot was stronger. I wanted to be drawn into the film emotionally rather than just visually. But its so strong visually, that it might just be worth watching a few times.
posted by Hankinstien at 8:06 PM
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