I’m sorry that Baking Through Disney project is on a slow start but I’ve been trying to get those adaptations watched. It hasn’t been easy to find time to watch movies that aren’t expiring on Netflix. Anyways, thats behind us now and those reviews will go up gradually. Another thing is that I’ve been avoiding watching Snow White and the Huntsman but here we are with another one that just got added on Netflix and its the 2012 live action adaptation called Mirror Mirror. I’m a huge fan of Julia Roberts…at least her earlier stuff is great so I always remain hopeful.
Let’s check it out!
Mirror Mirror (2012)
Director: Tarsem Singh
Cast: Lily Collins, Julia Roberts, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane, Martin Klebba, Jordan Prentice, Mark Povinelli, Joe Gnoffo, Danny Woodburn, Sebastian Saraceno, Ronald Lee Clark
An evil queen steals control of a kingdom and an exiled princess enlists the help of seven resourceful rebels to win back her birthright. – IMDB
Live action adaptations are popping up everywhere. Mirror Mirror came and went before I even knew about it. It went by so quietly that I actually had my doubts about it being good. Sure, there’s Julia Roberts and I like her but let’s face it, Snow White and the Disney version has yet to have a really good adaptation. At least from what I’ve seen, they’ve all been pretty sad efforts. But then, I only reviewed Asylum’s and I guess that’s the extreme bottom of the barrow. I don’t know what I’m rambling about. What I’m trying to say is that Mirror Mirror is an average movie and the plot is nothing to call home about but it does have some pretty nice settings and visuals, even the costumes are pretty to look at. All those things are in its favor. There’s some good and some bad with the characters also.
I wasn’t sure where to start with this since I’m a little indifferent to it but I think talking about Snow White and Prince Alcott (aka Prince Charming) is a good place. There is no doubt that Lily Collins looks the part. She’s a sweet looking girl and can pull off the nice and compassionate girl. What most adaptations nowadays are doing seems to be making the Disney princesses into stronger women. I applaud the effort. Its a good thing and for the most part, Lily Collins does a good Snow White who learns how to be tough when she meets the dwarfs. Her chemistry with the dwarfs might actually be more than hers with the Prince..haha! I guess that kind of is like the Disney classic, right? It was never about the Prince, was it? Now, our Prince here is a good looking dude. He has some shirtless moments which makes for a few chuckles but is he convincing as the Prince? Hmm…he’s a little stupid. Maybe he’s supposed to be, I don’t know. Prince Charming was really all for looks, I guess and being Snow White’s happily ever after.
The more fun part to talk about are the dwarfs. This crew are not miners but thieves in this version. They walk around in stilts of sorts that reminded me of the Kurios Cirque du Soleil show I saw last year. They are a really awesome addition to Mirror Mirror. Almost all the laughs are because of them and they make it so enjoyable especially when interacting with Snow White. There’s a lot to love about them and I would rewatch Mirror Mirror just for their performances. These dwarfs may be a different spin on the story we know but they are a good and well-needed change.
The Queen here is played by Julia Roberts. I hate to say it but this one was a little pathetic. They try to change up the character in a way with the mirror is actually a magical dimension and actually the reflection of the Queen herself. She’s superficial (as expected). I guess continuity works here but I believe it was deliberate when they made that narrative by the Queen (or the Mirror) and then the English accent vanished and turned back into Julia Roberts own voice. At least I thought it did in a few parts. I wasn’t sure if they did it to make it funny or sarcastic but I personally didn’t like it all that much. This Queen may be evil but she never felt that way to me. She just tried to menace Snow White with her words but she’s kind of stupid and not really all that villainous. That makes for this being the main reason Mirror Mirror didn’t quite do it for me.
Overall, Mirror Mirror has some pros: costumes, setting and the change for the dwarfs make it so entertaining and fun. Snow White and Prince Alcott is a decent couple with a good enough chemistry. Snow White and the dwarfs also carry some pretty nice chemistry and adds to the entertaining factor. The cons however is the weaker plot which doesn’t quite feel like anything special. The Queen also is not all that villainous. Mirror Mirror could be better but its not horrible. Maybe its a decent choice on a rainy day. Know this, the seven dwarfs will give you quite a good laugh 😉
Have you seen Mirror Mirror? Do you like Julia Roberts?
Tranquil Dreams 