Mirror Mirror

Cast: Julia Roberts, Lily Collins, Armie Hammer

Director: Tarsem Singh

A lot of thoughts came into mind while watching Mirror Mirror. The adaptation seemed to be a lot of stories put into one, using Snow White as a main character. Three stories came to mind: Ever After, Burton's adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. While seemingly offering a whimsical adaptation, it felt that it went too long, and didn't have much of the fun it wanted to have. 

I don't think there's a need to re-tell the story, as it primarily stuck to the tale, except that the queen was extremely extravagant and it looked like it was set in different parts of a world. My favorite characters were the dwarves, they were comical and entertaining. Lily Collins was not enjoyable. I found her version of Snow White weak throughout the entire movie. It felt like her performance was forced; it did not make her lovable. I felt like I was watching a child in a young woman's body. She always seemed to have a look that says she has to be pitied but all I was feeling is that she's very weak. If it wasn't for the dwarfs, she really wouldn't have survived. Armie Hammer, who plays her prince also tries to be funny and charming, but those too have failed. He and Collins did have chemistry. I first found their banter enjoyable, but as it continued, it all felt somewhat repetitive, and then did a complete turn around, to a point that it was no longer starting to be fun, but rather sickly. 

Julia Roberts has the best absurd performance in the movie, followed by the underused Nathan Lane. Her version of the queen was lavish, but not entirely vain, and she always managed to top herself. She reminded me a bit of the Red Queen (Burton's Alice), masking her weakness behind lavishness and power. While Roberts tried to be funny and be the life of the movie, her antics were only somewhat enjoyable and she was not entirely evil (nor it could be said that she had an evil bone in her body). To be honest, I didn't see the point of killing Snow White; she only wanted her dead to get the prince. She could have done so many other things, like manipulate Snow White into thinking that she's actually a good person, or locked her up and made her a slave.

I don't know exactly what Mirror Mirror is going for. It certainly is not funny, and with plot holes that hold importance to the movement of events, I don't know if there is a worst adaptation of this. All in all, this movie is simply for entertainment. It's not made to let you think otherwise. It started off well, but it went downhill from there. The script was meager and there were parts that the entire production can do without. The script was very contemporary compared to the setting, particularly the over the top design. All portrayed characters rather mediocre-turning-weak, the film itself is still enjoyable. I'm definitely not the target audience of this, and I don't think I'll be seeing it anytime soon.