Fairy tales, that subset of fantasy that, in a post Disneyfication landscape, has for the longest time meant tame and kid-friendly. Interestingly, though, Disney has been broadening it's audience for years, seeking a more adult audience as well as a general one, even with fairy tale characters, as witnessed by the show Once Upon A Time. However, those characters aren't owned by Disney, leaving others to take their own cracks at those legends when the spirit moves them. Such is the case with Mirror, Mirror, a spin on the classic Snow White tale.
First off, we have the Evil Queen, played with a sense of nasty fun by Julia Roberts, who, though a dabbler in magick, manages her magical talent as wrecklessly as her kingdom. Hence, she is warned by her underlings, both natural and supernatural, that her powers are stretched to their maximum and a reckoning is coming, sooner or later. Like a classic dictator, she engages in any means fair or foul to secure her throne and to pursue her whims. The king has vanished and his legitimate heir apparent, Snow White (Lilly Collins), is kept out of sight and out of mind.
Prince Andrew Alcott (Armie Hammer) an unmarried royal from a rich neighboring kingdom makes an appearance in the court and the Queen sees him as her golden opportunity to shore up her rule and resources as well as sait her libedo. When the Prince is seen enjoying the company of Snow White, she banishes snow and fakes her death.
Snow ends up finding herself falling in with a bunch of dwarves who have a side gig as bandits. They eventually take her in, due to her friendly nature and cooking accumen. In return, they begin teaching her fighting and banditry. As secrets become unraveled in the kingdom, Snow becomes ready to fight the fight she must, physically, politically and magically.
I don't know why this one didn't do so well at the box office. I haven't met a lot of people who enjoyed it. In yet another mysterious year where somehow cinematic storytellers were pursuing similar themes (yes, fairy tales are a rage right now, but TWO Snow White films), this one was the clear underdog. But with a great cast, sumptuous visuals perfect for it's fairy tale atmosphere and a story that was clearly written with a sense of fun and a cast that put forth that spirit, it deserved more than it got in the way of praise.
So I shall give it. Mirror, Mirror, good flickage, my lovelies. I'm not even a big fan of the films of director Tarsem Signh. He's known for visually stunning and mindbending movies like The Cell and The Fall. The narrative here is much more straightforward than what he usually does, and this is fine. Visually, there is no mistaking this rendition of Snow White for any other.
Again, good flick.
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