MirrorMask is a fairytale told in the style of Alice in Wonderland. When we first meet Helena, she is shouting at her mother that she does not wish to be a part of the family business (which is a circus) and wishes she could run away from the circus and join real life. Helena's mum suddenly becomes ill during a show and Helena struggles to cope with the situation so she drifts off to another world, where things aren't much better.
The situation here is that Helena must find the MirrorMask in order to get home and escape the strange and terrifying world she is now a part of. With the aid of her wise-cracking guide, Valentine, she travels across the Black and White Kingdoms to meet with the Queen, meeting plenty of hilarious and unsettling folks on the way.
From what I've read elsewhere a great majority of people consider this to be 'a visual triumph' and 'stunning and wonderful.' I am always pleased to see that people have managed to enjoy films where I have not, I would be much happier to think the problem was with me. That being said, I do completely disagree. I will attempt to explain.
First of all, there is pretty much no story here. Characters are introduced, sequences are in place purely to showcase the artistry involved and there is not one event that takes place in this film, that in any way advances the development of the characters or the plot. Secondly, the visual effects are really not that impressive, though six years old now, I can't imagine that I would have been that excited by them in 2005 either. Plenty of re-used environments and backdrops give MirrorMask the look of a cheap videogame and the acting backs up that comparison.
I found no joy whatsoever in watching this film and would find it very difficult to say anything positive at all. If nothing else I suppose the film was well-intentioned and tried to make something a bit different, and creativity like what is on show here is all subjective. But for me it fails on almost every level. Even the overbearing soundtrack refuses to just give you a quiet ride through this film, adding more stress to an already unbearable situation.
I had high hopes for MirrorMask and it sounded, on paper, like a film I would enjoy a great deal. However the film is, in truth, a mess. Littered with half-conceived ideas and completely uninteresting, and at times irritating, characters. I would say that it's worth watching to make your own mind up of course and I know a few people who have said they enjoyed it.
I found that when I compared it against other films I've seen this week it failed at every level. It failed to balance out the imagery with the story (as The Fall did effectively) it over-complicated a story without remembering its audience (like Inception managed to avoid) and it failed to tread carefully around a potentially grating main character (as Where The Wild Things Are managed to do to great effect.) A huge disappointment and a real effort to finish watching.
2/10
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