| Mirrors |
| Director: Alexandre Aja Writer: Jim Uhls, Joe Gangemi, Kieran, Michelle Mulroney Staring: Kiefer Sutherland Paula Patton Amy Smart Cameron Boyce Erica Gluck Mary Beth Peil John Shrapnel Jason Flemyng Tim Ahern Julian Glover Josh Cole Ezra Buzzington Ioana Abur Bart Sidles and Roz McCutcheon Released: 8/15/2008 Rating: R Studio: 20th Century Fox Web Site: www.mirrorsmovie.com |
| Here is a movie that is a perfect 3. Mirrors was a good movie, not great, not bad, just good. Nothing wowed me, but there were some pretty cool scenes and eerie effects. The story was interesting enough to hold my attention. Though the plot here is not totally original, (see Candyman for a better mirror monster), it dose take some interesting turns. Having not seen the Korean version I cannot say what was changed for us westerners. The story takes place in New York, where a former NYPD detective Ben Carson (Kiefer Sutherland) is hired to work as a night watchman. Kiefer does a good job playing a recovering alcoholic and someone who wants to repair the damage of his past. What really grabbed my attention was the location that Ben is hired to watch. The remains of the Mayflower Department Store that was partially destroyed by fire many years ago. This great location looks less like a department store and more like a palace. The interior scenes have a nice Silent Hill feel as he does his rounds with flashlight in hand. Creepy burnt mannequins, mirrors, and birds all help in creating a spooky atmosphere. A good ghost story beginning. When the mirrors start showing him images of the past, Ben starts trying to put the pieces together. Here is where the story seems to move at too quick of a pace. It feels like the script writers were trying to cram too much story into what time restraints they had. This also leads to some pretty lame dialogue in otherwise good moments. Of course everyone believes Ben is just going crazy even after his sister is killed. Her death is the goriest part of the film and is one of the coolest death scenes I have seen in a while. ATTENTION!!! SPOILERS AHEAD!!! Ben discovers that there is an evil force in the mirror that is chasing him and jeopardizing his family. His son played by Cameron Boyce soon becomes in contact with the evil. Sadly, the acting is too wooden to really care about the boy. And when we discover that this force is traced back to a mental hospital that used to be in the same location as the store, well, things become a little trite. Though the search of a former patient made things a little more interesting. I am a big fan of haunted locations, not so much a fan of possession. Thankfully, the very end takes a turn that rescues the film from being a total let down. All in all, I am not sorry to have watched Mirrors in fact I found it quite entertaining. I am glad however to have waited for the DVD. A nice creepy locale, a couple jumps, some interesting gore, and an ok plot makes Mirrors worth a rental. Reviewed by: Jack |
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