Mirror Mirror Review

Rated PG (Some Fantasy Action and Mild Rude Humor)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 46 Minutes

Cast-

Lily Collins-Snow White

Julia Roberts-Queen Clementianna

Armie Hammer-Prince Andrew Alcott

Nathan Lane-Brighton

Jordan Prentice-Napoleon

Mark Povinelli-Half Pint

Joe Gnoffo-Grub

Danny Woodburn-Grimm

Sebastian Saraceno-Wolf

Martin Klebba-Butcher

Ronald Lee Clark-Chuckles

Robert Emms-Charles Renbock

Mare Winningham-Baker Margaret

Sean Bean-The King

Directed by Tarsem Singh

Now that's a smile you just can't fake.

I believe (no pun intended if you get the song reference!) it’s not that big of an assumption to say that most people have already seen or is at least aware of Walt Disney’s 1937 animated film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” while growing up as a child. Evolving from traditional hand-drawn techniques to full-blown CG, animation has come a long way in the past seventy-five years but Disney’s film, based upon the classic 1812 Brothers Grimm fairy tale of the same name, is considered historically significant by the National Film Registry for a number of milestones as it is the first animated feature film to be produced in the United States from Walt Disney Productions and the first in motion picture history to utilize cel-animation in full color. Although some have erroneously labeled it as the first animated feature film, that distinction actually belongs to a little-known 1917 Spanish film titled “El Apóstol” (translated: “The Apostle”) directed by Quirino Cristiani from Argentina. Unfortunately, Cristiani’s film was lost to a fire that destroyed the only known copy, which was in the hands of producer Federico Valle. The story of Snow White should be familiar to almost everyone even without seeing the various adaptations over the years given the way Grimm’s fairy tale has entered the public consciousness but Hollywood is throwing two more in the mix this year with Tarsem Singh’s “Mirror Mirror” and Rupert Sanders’ “Snow White and the Huntsman.” The former is a children’s film while the latter is an action-adventure that has invited comparisons with Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. While the initial previews for “Mirror Mirror” left a bad first impression, the film is surprisingly enjoyable thanks to its whimsical charm, elaborate costume design, and stunning visuals as only Tarsem Singh can do.  The broad comedy will invite eye-rolling disdain from adults but it’s hard to hate the film when the cast has so much fun putting their own spin on a classic fairy tale. 

“Mirror Mirror” begins with the wicked Queen Clementianna (Julia Roberts) narrating the story of Snow White’s birth and sarcastically remarking that it ‘was the most pretentious name [her parents] could think of.’ Snow’s mother unfortunately dies in childbirth and the King (Sean Bean) raises her alone. He eventually remarries with Clementianna vainly identifying herself as his new wife but the King soon disappears after traveling to the dark forest to battle a mysterious monster. Left with only his dagger, Snow frantically searches for her father to no avail and was now at the mercy of the Queen. Fast forward to the present day and eighteen-year-old Snow White (Lily Collins) has grown up to be a lovely young woman but remains a prisoner in her own castle. The kingdom has also suffered greatly in the years since the King’s disappearance as Clementianna taxes the people heavily to support her vanity and lavish parties. With the encouragement of her servants, Snow decides to sneak out of the castle to see what has become of her father’s kingdom. Along the way she encounters two men hanging upside down from a tree who were robbed by a group of bandits. She frees them but unbeknownst to her, one of the men is Prince Andrew Alcott (Armie Hammer), who has been traveling for many months seeking adventure. When Snow arrives in the village, she is shocked to discover the people destitute and begging for food. Meanwhile Prince Alcott arrives at the castle to present himself with Queen Clementianna becoming immediately smitten with him. She plans to marry him in order to steal his wealth for herself. To save her father’s kingdom from the Queen, Snow White decides to take back what is rightfully hers and is joined by a group of seven dwarfs named Napoleon (Jordan Prentice), Half Pint (Mark Povinelli), Grub (Joe Gnoffo), Grimm (Danny Woodburn), Wolf (Sebastian Saraceno), Butcher (Martin Klebba), and Chuckles (Ronald Lee Clark). The dwarfs also happen to be the same bandits that robbed Prince Alcott, putting him at odds with Snow White. 

Growing up, I’ve seen my fair share of Disney films including “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” so when Relativity Media and Universal Pictures announced rival films based upon Grimm’s fairy tale, I was interested in what they would come up with seeing as how important the 1937 film was to my childhood. The initial previews for “Mirror Mirror” did not inspire much confidence to put it lightly and I was expecting the worse but color me surprised when I discovered that I actually enjoyed the film. Of course it appeals more to children (especially young girls) given its silly jokes and broad physical comedy ala The Three Stooges but “Mirror Mirror” has a certain infectious charm that makes it hard to outright pan the film despite its glaring flaws. Tarsem Singh’s films have always put visuals first over story and character development and while this Snow White contains enough wrinkles to differentiate itself from the traditional fairy tale, the overall plot remains predictable even with its modern feminist twist mixed with a dash of Robin Hood. However, one change that I did welcome was the frequent role reversal with Snow White saving Prince Alcott from the clutches of the Queen instead of the other way around. I also appreciated the writers (Melissa Wallack and Jason Keller) playing up the mother/daughter relationship with both Snow White and the Queen vying for the affections of the Prince, with the latter leading to a hilarious scene where Alcott ends up drugged with a love potion that makes him behave like a drooling love-struck puppy. As juvenile as the jokes and comedy were, the film is certainly aware at how ridiculous it is and often has its tongue-firmly-in cheek with a number of self-referential lines such as when Alcott insists on saving Snow by remarking that ‘it's been focus group tested! It works!’ Singh has always had an eye for the unusual but sometimes he goes over-the-top and one of the results is an awkward scene where the Queen is given a beauty makeover with parrot droppings brushed on her face and her lips puckered through bee stings. While the departures are welcome, Singh and his writers ultimately do not take them as far as they could and the end result mines familiar territory. 

The plot may be a missed opportunity for a radical shake-up but what makes “Mirror Mirror” worth the price of admission alone are the visuals and the lavish costumes from the late Japanese designer Eiko Ishioka. In a documentary about her work with acclaimed director Francis Ford Coppola, Ishioka remarked that ‘the costumes are the sets’ and this is certainly true when we first meet the Queen, who is wearing a large orange gown that seems like an extension of her seashell throne. Later at a ball, Collins is dressed as a white swan while Hammer is sporting a ridiculous top hat complete with rabbit ears and bunny paws on his hands. To make up for their short stature, the dwarfs are given special stilts that allow them to do acrobatic feats and shrink down like accordions when necessary. The visual and set design help reinforce the film’s candy-coated and whimsical storybook quality that puts a new spin on well-worn elements such as the famous magic mirror. Instead of an actual mirror, it’s a portal to the Queen’s personal realm where she communes with a literal reflection of herself. 

The cast could’ve sleepwalked to their paychecks but thankfully they do not and appear to genuinely enjoy and commit to their respective roles. As Snow White, Lily Collins (daughter of British singer/songwriter Phil Collins) exudes a sugary-sweetness in her first leading role that makes it easy to forgive her acting inexperience. Julia Roberts relishes at playing the Evil Queen with her often snide and snarky comments about the incompetence of her followers while Armie Hammer goes all-out crazy as the somewhat clueless ‘damsel-in-distress.’ Nathan Lane brings his usual flamboyant self as the Queen’s advisor (replacing the huntsman) and the dwarves make for a likeable bunch even though it’s sometimes hard to differentiate them due to the sameness of their costumes. 

Released on March 30, 2012, “Mirror Mirror” has received mixed reviews with 50% on Rotten Tomatoes as critics found it to be ‘undeniably beautiful—but its treatment of the age-old Snow White fable lacks enough depth or originality to set it apart from the countless other adaptations of the tale.’ At least Singh has always maintained consistency with the quality of his films. I saw the film late afternoon and the audience was largely comprised of adults with their children and young teens but everyone appeared to enjoy it despite the easy jokes and slapstick comedy. As for box office prospects, it’s looking to debut in third place with $20 to $25 million, which isn’t bad for a film with a terrible marketing campaign. I am not the intended audience for “Mirror Mirror” and while its changes to the Snow White fairy tale aren’t all that radical, I found myself caught up in its energetic charm and the Bollywood-style musical number was icing on the cake. The kids will love it for sure and I wouldn’t be surprised if adults ended up liking it either.

Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5

“You read so many stories where the prince saves the princess. It's time we changed that ending!”