“Such a freakin’ tough day at the office today. My high priority assignment for today was literally giving me a headache (and we know I dont use that word unless I really \m/ mean it). I plowed thru it, pushing back lunch, further cranking the crankiness. Most of what kept me going was that I had Marianas Trench on repeat for half the day. And then around escape time, I got pulled into something else that was high priority. I ended up opting for dinner there in Davis Sq before the movie, rather than running home for a quick tv dinner. So I wasn’t in the best of spirits going in, and I didnt have the highest hopes for the movie either. Side note, have you noticed that the RSS feed on ExpletiveDleted.com drops the \ at the beginning all of my deleted expletives? Kinda annoying.
I remember I didnt have the best reaction the first time I saw the trailer for Mirror Mirror. I’d been hearing talk about the competing Snow White projects, but was kinda unphased since I knew I’d likely see them both regardless. Upon first viewing, my initial reaction was “”Oooh”” when I recognized what it was, but by the end it changed to “”Oh God, I’m gonna end up seeing this, aren’t I?””. And that’s kind of where it stayed for me. Except that one time I was at the movies with the BFF who commented about Lily Collin’s eyebrows. Since then, I can’t stop staring at them. They rival Zachary Quinto’s.
I was still a little hesitant about seeing this, but I’ve got the weekend wide open. Actually, current plans have up to a potential 4 movies, although I’m thinking 3 is more likely. The ultimate deciding factor in giving Mirror Mirror a chance is the cast, specifically Nathan Lane and Armie Hammer. Lane is a legend who can chew his way thru any piece of scenery, and Hammer is rapidly ascending up my list of faves. And besides, it was playing at the cheap theater and I had a free evening. What the hell.
Verdict? Meh. I felt like as a whole, the film wasn’t trying at all. Just sorta phoning it in. Which is sad because there really was a lot of unexpected potential. There were a few brilliant lines thrown in, some clever twists on the classic tale, and an oustanding cast. But you also had some gaping plot holes, over used cliches, and undeveloped characters. I mean, I get that it’s tough to liven up such a well known and beloved fairy tale, but when there were a few wonderful gems thrown in there, you have no excuse for not trying harder.
Normally, one of my overused phrases to describe a movie like this is something along the lines of “”It aint gonna be winning any Oscars””. However, in this case, I think the costumes are certainly award worthy. They’re so big and beautiful and over the top and colorful and imaginitive. This morning, I’d read an article giving three reasons to see this movie and the costumes was one of the three. Srsly blown away.
And I did like the cast. Armie Hammer does make a truly charming prince. I know I was certainly faling in love with him. Such a fun and interesting turn for Julia Roberts as the Queen. She played the role so perfectly, it’s a wonder she hasn’t gotten in touch with her evil side more throughout her career. I expected a bit more from Nathan Lane, but he was still a welcome addition. Particularly enjoyed seeing him in his costume at the ball. Lily Collins was suitable enough. No more annoying than I’d expect for this type of character, but nothing particularly remarkable. I did love the dwarves, particularly Mark Povinelli’s Half Pint.
One aspect I’m a bit torn on is the sword fighting. During the big Snow vs Prince scene partway thru, my initial thought was that it looked awful and unskilled. But then it turned into such a fun and flirtatious game that I totally loved. That was kinda the high point for action though. There was attempt at a big fighty climax, but it fell flat.
Continuing down the spectrum towards the less than good. It seems like whenever the writers were faced with a cliche they couldnt work around, they sorta just gritted their teeth and plowed thru to get it over with and hope nobody would notice. Well, I noticed. For one, did we ever establish why the prince went to see the queen in the first place? And what’s with the whole “”this is my battle”” running off alone thing?! Makes no sense. Also, least effective training montage of all time. I didnt buy any supposed character arc that was sorta forced onto anyone. It just could have been so much better.
Is it bed time yet? Cause I almost nodded off a few times during the movie.
Mirror Mirror – \m/ \m/