Mirror Mirror

Relativity Media

I watched Mirror Mirror the other night. I really wasn't expecting to like it, but it was actually pretty good. This was a new twist on a very old tale. It wasn't exactly frightening, but it was very funny. Many of the elements that would have been too frightening for children were toned down to make it family friendly. However, several of the themes were actually made more complex than they were in the original story. The dwarves were the victims of discrimination and had been banned from the village for being ugly. Snow White realized that she had to become a fighter to help her people and that she could be the one to save the day, rather than waiting for the Prince to do it for her. In the end though, it was the casting that really made this movie.

Relativity Media

Julia Roberts is surprisingly good as the mad Queen. She is evil without being scary. Lily Collins is fantastic as the innocent Snow White. Armie Hammer is hilarious as Prince Alcott, with all of his ridiculous problems. He just can't seem to stay out of trouble. The seven dwarves aren't miners, but thieves who have been forced from their homes and former lives by the Queen. And they wear springy stilts and use swords and ninja skills to rob their victims. Their names have changed to suit their darker personalities. The dwarves' names are Napoleon, Half Pint, Grub, Grimm, Wolf, Butcher, and Chuckles. They are by turns sympathetic and ridiculous. The scenes where they train Snow White to be one of them are wonderful. I absolutely loved Nathan Lane as the Queen's chief toadie, Brighton. He is so simpering and weak that it is just hysterical! So, I have to say, although I wasn't expecting it, this movie was well worth seeing again.