Mirror, Mirror

In Mirror, Mirror, Snow White (Lily Collins) is turning eighteen. The Queen (Julia Roberts), known for her lavish parties, is hosting another one—but not to celebrate Snow White. She uses her galas to politically game-play with the Kingdom’s higher-ups, and Snow White, as usual, isn’t invited. She’s a prisoner in her own castle, forbidden to leave the grounds or attend the Queen’s parties.

The Evil Queen discovers that she’s depleted the royal coffers, wasting the kingdom’s money on fancy dresses, expensive beauty treatments, and over-the-top celebrations. Coincidentally, a shirtless Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer) arrives at her castle after being robbed by “giant…well…minuscule bandits.” The Queen sees an opportunity that will solve her financial problems—she organizes a ball that will sweep the handsome, rich Prince off his feet to in front of the altar.

A fecal facial, bee-sting Botox, and a wormy moisturizer treatment later, the Queen is ready for the ball. She’s shocked to find she’s not the fairest in the room—the Prince is dancing with Snow White. The furious Queen orders her servant Brighton (Nathan Lane) to take Snow into the woods to kill her.

Upon Snow White’s escape, she meets the equivalent of the seven dwarfs: Butcher, Napoleon, Grub, Chuckles, Grimm, Half Pint, and Wolf are bandits with accordion stilts to make them look like giants when they rob people. Each of these dwarfs has his own unique personality, and a few are downright hilarious. Together, Snow White and the dwarfs fight to take back her kingdom from the Evil Queen.

As Snow White, Lily Collins (The Blind Side) plays the role of a quiet and graceful, timid Princess-turned-leader very well. Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman, Erin Brockovich), was at her best, amusing in her sarcasm-filled “evil” role. Armie Hammer (The Social Network) was funny and consistently charming throughout the movie as the Prince.

The movie’s strength lies in the scenery. The scenes and sets are absolutely stunning, and at a few points the film is shot as if inside a snow globe. The costumes, designed by the late Eiko Ishioka, are delicious, vibrantly colored and fairy-tale-esque.

Mirror, Mirror is directed by Tarsem Singh, taking a turn from his last foray, Immortals. Overall, the movie is a light-hearted and not very deep diversion. With elements of slapstick comedy, adventure, and a little romance, audiences will laugh and leave the theaters feeling enchanted. Rounding out the little over hour and a half tale, a Bollywood dance number ends the movie on a high note.

Mirror, Mirror has a few moral lessons (and what great fairy tale doesn’t). You shouldn’t steal, looks can be deceiving, magic is harmful, and there is more to life than the way you look. One scene toward the end of the movie might be a little scary for the under five crowd, but overall Mirror, Mirror is a very clean and family-friendly movie.

To learn more about author April Kruger, visit Cross Shadow Productions