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| Courtesy of Relativity Media |
The first
of two Snow White movies hitting theaters in the coming months, Mirror Mirror
is a visually dazzling comedy aimed squarely at kids. You might not gather that
from the flick’s horrid trailers, but it’s readily apparent within the first
few moments of narration.
That
voiceover comes from the evil Queen (a gleeful Julia Roberts, who seems to be
having a blast), informing viewers that this will be her perspective on the
classic fairy tale. You know the drill: Queen takes out the king, keeps Snow
White (the lovely Lily Collins) locked away and rules the kingdom with ruthless
self-interest.
Tired of
being exiled, Snow sets out to overthrow the queen and her fawning servant
(Nathan Lane). She eventually recruits seven new friends – even though they’re
pretty familiar to us by now – to assist in her mission. Only one key player
remains undecided: the handsome Prince (Armie Hammer) visiting from a distant
realm. Will he take up Snow’s cause (since he’s got the hots for her) or will
the Queen use her dark powers to draw him to her side?
Thanks to
director Tarsem Singh’s gift for creating incredible images, along with a thin
yet intentionally silly screenplay from Melissa Wallack and Jason Keller, Mirror Mirror manages to inject some welcome energy into a story we’ve all
heard a million times. It’s hard to be bored when there are so many absurdly
poofy dresses and colorful set pieces on display. Singh’s incorporation of
puppetry alone makes the flick worth recommending.
Luckily,
the cast is entertaining as well. This is Roberts’ most energetic performance
in years, and Collins’ charming work elevates Snow to more than just a damsel
in distress. I was also impressed by Hammer’s comedic instincts. He had some
witty material in The Social Network, but he gets to play much broader here
which works to his advantage. The way he delivers one particular line in the
third act got the movie’s biggest laugh.
As an
added bonus, the dwarves get much more to do in this version. Instead of being
Snow’s diamond-mining landlords, they’re diminutive Robin Hoods. They steal
gold from the Queen using clever weapons and disguises, then return the money
to its rightful, overtaxed earners. Yes, they end up with the most
groan-inducing lines, but the actors do their best to sell the material. Most
of the time they’re able to make it work.
If you
dismissed Mirror Mirror outright based on the trailer, give it a shot.
Particularly if you have kids – the ones in the screening I attended loved
every minute of it.
Mirror Mirror is rated PG
for some fantasy action and mild rude humor.
Grade: B-
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