Mirror, Mirror (2012)

Growing up, I loved fairy tales. I loved fantasy stories like the stories of Oz and Little people who live in the walls of houses. I really loved fairy tales. Something about good triumphing over evil always appealed to me. The story of Snow White was never a favorite of mine. (I much preferred 'Snow White, Rose Red,' but most people have never heard of that fairy tale.) In fact, I find her a very annoying Disney princess. Even if the 1937 cartoon is a product of its times, with some great songs, the idea of watching a live-action version of her didn't really appeal to me.  When I first saw the commercials for Tarsem Singh's 'Mirror, Mirror,' its costumes made me want to watch this film. Plus, it seemed like a light-hearted take on the story.

Watching the film, I wasn't disappointed. The costumes were amazing and the set pieces were just as good. It was a light-hearted take on the story. The evil queen, Clementianna, played by Julia Roberts, isn't so much evil as just really selfish. She wants what she wants, because she deserves it, but her happiness is held up by one obstacle: her step-daughter, Snow White (Lily Collins).

This selfishness has bankrupted the kingdom. None of her subjects likes her (not that she cares) but they stick around because of their love for Snow (which she finds greatly annoying). The Queen sets her sights on winning visiting Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer), since he comes from a very wealthy kingdom and he's dreamy to boot. Alas, her plan is thwarted because the young Prince has already fallen in love with someone else, Snow .

The Queen orders her trusty sidekick, Brighton (Nathan Lane) to feed Snow to the Beast, but even Brighton isn't that evil, so he tells Snow to run away. She does and that's how she meets the dwarves. They reluctantly take her in -- since it puts a crimp in their bandit lifestyle -- but soon they're training her in the ways of sword-fighting and other skills a bandit needs.

She helps the dwarves rob Brighton, which leads to a run-in with Prince Alcott. She's supposed to be dead, but is now in league with bandits. When he returns to the Queen's castle, she drugs him with a love potion -- Armie does a great job of bringing the puppy love to life -- and he agrees to marry her. When Snow hears the news, she knows she has to stop it, so she and the Dwarves hurry to save the day.

Anyone familiar with fairy tales knows how the story is going to end: with Snow and the Prince living happily ever after. But this movie is a light-hearted take on the classic tale. Snow White never bites the poisoned apple, nor is she saved from her plight by the kiss of a guy who's fallen in love with her beauty. Instead, she's a girl who learns to stand (and fight) on her own two feet and who saves her kingdom herself. There's a nice twist and a Bollywood number at the end of the movie (which I enjoyed because I like Bollywood dance numbers). Snow and her Prince live happily ever after, and her friends do, too.

Roberts is terrific as the Queen; you just can't hate her, even though does despicable things, because of how Roberts plays her. Hammer is dashing as the Prince and Lily Collins is the kind heroine you root for. At times, Snow's a little too kind and bland for my tastes, but I don't fault Collins for that - that's just how Snow White is written, in this or any rendition of her story. But at least in this one, she's the one doing the rescuing rather than waiting on true love's kiss to rouse her from her apple-induced coma.

I recommend watching this movie when you feel like just enjoying a movie without thinking too much. Because you will enjoy it. It's the 'Mean Girls' version of 'Snow White' and I mean that as a compliment.

Rating: 6.5/10

Here's a little extra: this movie had tons of different posters. I thought I would share a few:



Links:

IMDB page for the movie
Wikipedia page for the movie
Fashionista overview of costume designer, Eiko Ishioka's, career
‘Mirror Mirror’ Song Mystery: The Missing Woman Behind ‘I Believe in Love’

Reviews:

Roger Ebert's review - 2.5/4
The Hollywood Reporter review
The Telegraph review
Time review
NY Times review
The Daily Beast review - Snarky review counter balanced by the enthusiastic review by an 8-year-old.
Vulture.com review - Lily Collins’s Eyebrows Steal Mirror, Mirror
NPR review