Directed by: Tarsem Singh
Starring: Lily Collins, Sean Bean, Julia Roberts, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane
MPAA Rating: PG
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: June 26, 2012
Running Time: 106 minutes
Film: 2 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars
I am a big proprietor of re-telling of classic fairy tale films, I absolutely love Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” but I felt the urge to turn off “Mirror Mirror” after only 20 minutes. Lily Collins’ was very cute in her first leading performance, which I enjoyed. The film looks very perfect and visual also thanks to Eiko Ishioka’s costume work and Tarsem Singh’s creative and visual style. The story though was lame and dragged a lot, it was also not funny at all, when aimed as a comedy. Overall, unless you need to see anything relating to the character Snow White, I would avoid this film.
The film follow an evil enchantress queen (Roberts) who schemes to marry a handsome, wealthy prince (Hammer), after spending all of the kingdom’s money. Although there is a small problem – he’s in love with a princess, Snow White (Collins). So, the queen sets out to remove Snow White from her own kingdom. While hiding out she meets and joins up with seven rebellious dwarves. With there help, Snow White wages war on the queen in order to restore the power and save her kingdom.
When it comes to the Blu-ray presentation though, unlike the film it looks very pretty but also very “shot-on-a-set” feel. The 1080p transfers shines for sure and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The audio is also impressive with its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, which works well with the score. The release also comes with a DVD of the film, as well as a digital copy. I wish Fox would get on the bandwagon and start using Ultraviolet digital streaming. Lastly, it is sad but I think the part I liked most about this release was the lenticular cover.
So bad movie, great Blu-ray presentation and now back to bad. The special features are a let down as well. There are a five short deleted scenes including an alternate opening. “Looking Through The Mirror” is a behind-the-scenes featurette with the cast and crew chatting about the production. “I Believe I Can Dance” is a feature with choreographer, Paul Becker, on the film’s final dance number. “Mirror, Mirror Storybook” is storybook version of the film, which runs 28 pages and is remote-controlled. “Prince and Puppies” is the stupiest feature on this disc, with a group of puppies that watch the “puppy love” scene and give their thoughts on Armie Hammer…seriously? Lastly there is a theatrical trailer included.
I think you were generous with your rating. The attempts at humor were lame and insulting…I found that, instead of expanding on a rich theme, the sophomoric writing felt like a mockery. This movie was a joke on anyone who bothered to spend money on it. So painfully awful, I couldn’t even finish watching this dog.