COLUMN: ‘Mirror Mirror’ puts a modern twist on Snow White
Mirror, mirror, on the wall. This movie is not the fairest of them all, but it’s not that bad either.
“Mirror Mirror” puts a slightly modern edge on a classic fairy tale.
After a fairytale puppet opening, we meet Snow White (Lily Collins), a smart but underappreciated and repressed young woman desperately trying to live with her evil stepmother, the queen (Julia Roberts).
Following a verbal lashing by the queen and an uplifting talk with the baker, Snow leaves the castle to see what her kingdom is truly like.
Meanwhile, Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer) and his lackey, Charles Renbock (Robert Emms), are scouting the countryside looking for an adventure.
They run into a group of “giants,” which provides just the action the prince was looking for, but they are overpowered, mugged and then left bound together.
While Alcott and Charles are hanging out in a tree (quite literally), Snow White happens upon them and chooses to rescue them under certain conditions.
The prince is taken to the queen, who immediately becomes interested in his body and his money, so she plans and executes a ball to sweep him off his feet.
At the ball, the prince and Snow run into each other once again, where they are formally introduced and experience love at first sight.
Furious, the queen banishes Snow White, who is escorted by the queen’s right hand man, Brighton (Nathan Lane), to the woods, where he frees Snow and tells her to run. She quickly follows his advice.
After accidentally knocking herself out in her fleeing, she wakes up surrounded by seven dwarves: Butcher (Martin Klebba), Chuckles (Ronald Lee Clark), Grimm (Danny Woodburn), Grub (Joe Gnoffo), Half Pint (Mark Povinelli), Napoleon (Jordan Prentice), and Wolf (Sebastian Saraceno).
After winning the hearts of the dwarves, Snow unites with them and they plan to retake the kingdom that is rightfully hers.
Then the real fun begins.
This is a tale very much for children, but it’s more grown up and more action-packed than the classic Disney cartoon.
The movie had a storybook feel to it – the overall sets were simple, but the designs in those sets were intricately detailed and ornate, offtimes a rarity in movies with similar styles.
The queen’s mirror shows a reflection of herself, although the image is a mind’s eye creation of who she would like to be. In most versions of the famous mirror, another face is projected or present, so this angle on a fairy tale icon is refreshing.
“Mirror Mirror” was not as funny as the trailer led me to believe, but there were plenty of hilarious one liners to keep the comedy aspect fresh.
The palace guards reminded me of the stormtroopers of “Star Wars,” especially in one humorous scene when two guards banter back and forth about Snow White’s actions.
Director Tarsem Singh Dhandwar is still very much unknown, although he directed “Immortals” and “The Cell.”
“Mirror Mirror” is Dhandwar’s first movie made with a child audience in mind, and he effectively uses his trademarks: colorful settings, elaborate costumes and a blend of practical and computer imagery effects.
Even though Collins has acted in “The Blind Side,” “Priest” and “Abduction,” she is still an up-and-coming star. Interestingly, she auditioned for the role of Snow White in the upcoming “Snow White and the Huntsman,” and replaced Saoirse Ronan in this version of the Snow White tale.
Roberts, well known for roles in such movies as “Pretty Woman,” “Erin Brockovich” and “Ocean’s Twelve,” assumes an evil, over-the-top role that becomes annoying at times – but it’s perfect for a kids movie. It’s the first time I’ve seen her as a villainess, and she did well based on what she was given.
Roberts’ performance was reminiscent of that of Mother Gothel in Disney’s “Tangled.”
Hammer is much more animated than the prince in Disney’s cartoon rendition of the fairy tale. The only other time he was more animated was in an episode of “The Simpsons,” in which he revisited his roles from “The Social Network” as Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.
Hopefully he’ll be more serious and down to earth as John Reid in next year’s version of “The Lone Ranger.”
It was hard to watch how pathetic his character, Alcott, was. The prince’s wit was not as sharp as his sword, and his sword seemed to be made of wood.
Unfortunately the music of the film was not memorable, with the exception of the last number, “I Believe in Love.” This was disappointing, especially when I noticed the music was composed by the talented Alan Menken, who is famous for Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” “Hercules” and “Tangled” soundtracks.
The story may be familiar, but between the fighting sequences, the twists at the end and the star-studded cast, “Mirror Mirror” is deserving of at least a single viewing.
If you’d like a decent date movie, watch “Mirror Mirror,” but wait until it’s available to rent.
– Spencer Palmer is a graduate student working toward an MBA with a recent bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. Email him at spencer.palmer@aggiemail.usu.edu