Movie Review: In 1812 the story of Snow White was first collected by the Grimm Brothers. In 1937 Disney turned it in to their first feature length animated film. In 2012 two competing film studios decided to make adaptations of the story giving credence to the claims that Hollywood is out of ideas.

Snow White (Lily Collins) is a beautiful princess but her step-mother, the evil queen (Julia Roberts) loathes her. When the handsome Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer) comes to the kingdom and falls in love with Snow White, the queen attempts to have her killed. Her henchman (Nathan Lane) is unable to follow through and simply tells Snow White to stay in the woods where she is taken in by dwarves and schooled in the art of thieving. When the queen finds out that Snow White is still alive she decides to take matters in to her own hands.

Mirror Mirror is a visual masterpiece. Tarsem’s unique flair for the fantastical translates well to the live-action fairy tale. The costumes and set design are absolutely stunning. Unfortunately they are the best part of the movie.

Lily Collins is really great as Snow White but the writing leaves her character slightly one-dimensional, a problem with all the characters in the movie. Julia Roberts is obviously enjoying her self as a character that is quite different from what she usually portrays. The dwarves are all really entertaining but do not have nearly enough screen-time.

The breathtaking visuals and strong lead performances are let down by a poor script that rushes almost everything in the movie and a strange goofy tone that comes off as childish and uninspired. The movie features a sort of tongue-in-cheek comedy that isn’t as well executed as many of its contemporary kids movies like Shrek or the Pixar movies.

Mirror Mirror is an interesting watch, and kids will probably enjoy the fun visuals and fairy-tale nature, but adults may grow tired of the poor script.

2.5 out of 5 Stars

Video & Audio Quality: While the movie may be less than impressive, you would have a hard time finding anything wrong with the presentation of the movie. The visual style of the film lends itself well to high-definition and the transfer does not let it down. The audio quality of the movie is also great. Dialogue is presented well and there are plenty of discrete effects that come through your surround channels. Your problems with Mirror Mirror will have nothing to do with the video or audio.

5 out of 5 Stars

Special Features:

• Deleted Scenes: There are about 5 or 6 deleted scenes available. Mostly they are expanded versions of scenes that are included in the movie so you aren’t missing much by skipping these.

• Looking Through The Mirror: This is a 12 minute feature about the making of the movie, specifically about the production design and visuals. It is pretty interesting if you were as fond of the look of the film as I was.

• I Believe I Can Dance: This is a short piece that teaches you the choreography of the final dance number.

• Mirror Mirror Storybook: The storybook is basically a moving pop-up book that goes through the entire film. I have never seen something like this before but it was pretty cool. Kids will love it.

2 out of 5 Stars

Overall: If you like the movie then the Blu-Ray release will be a great addition to your collection. If you are on the fence, this might be one to consider renting.

3 out of 5 Stars

Nathan

Nathan enjoys film, music, sports and most of all, speaking in the third person.

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