| |
|
 
|
 MIRRORS |
 |
 |
| Actors: Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Cameron Boyce, Erica Gluck, Amy Smart, Mary Beth Peil |
| Director: Alexandre Aja |
|
Studio: 20th Century Fox |
| DVD release: 13 January 2009 |
|
Runtime: 110 min.
(1 disc) |
| Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, Blu-ray |
| DVD features: 1080p High Definition, Aspect ratio 2.35:1, Audio tracks (English DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1; Dolby Surround - French, Spanish), Subtitles (English SDH, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean), Extended Unrated cut, "Reflections: The Making of Mirrors," "Behind The Mirror," Deleted Scenes (optional commentary w/ director Alexandre Aja), "Inside The Mirror" alternate ending, Anna Esseker backstory, BonusView Mode, Mirror Images (picture-in-picture commentary w/ director Alexandre Aja, co-writer/producer Gregory Levasseur), Picture-in-picture Scene to Storyboard comparison, Animated storyboard sequence, Digital copy
|
|
Stoner philosophy dictates that alternate universes exist in mirrors and reflective surfaces. The part that really blows your mind before the microwave signals the readiness of your burrito is the precision of your other-universe doppelgänger. He matches your every move and
presumably has free will and is equally amazed at your precision.
It's this premise that makes Mirrors intriguing.
Ben Carson (Keifer Sutherland) is a police detective in limbo. Suspended after the accidental shooting of an undercover cop and waiting as Internal Affairs ruminates over his reinstatement, Carson takes a job as a night watchman at an abandoned department store. This is one mamma-jamma of a department store: five stories high and architecturally impressive, with its imposing Corinthian columns. The Mayflower burned five years ago, but the insurance companies are still waiting to do anything about it, so here it stands in all its burnt-out glory. All the mirrors seem to be intact, and there are enough charred mannequins to make any night watchman jump.
Carson almost immediately begins to notice things are out of kilter.
He begins to see things in the mirrors that aren't there in reality.
A door swings open, seeming to beckon to him. But not in real life.
He sees the reflected image of a woman suffering from severe burns.
But not in real life. Whatever is in the mirrors is not nice, and soon it's not isolated to the Mayflower. Ben, as is expected for this kind of film, is a little on edge, and he scares his family when he comes into their home (he and his wife are separated) and either removes or covers up all the reflective surfaces (I wonder if it might not neutralize the mirrors to remove all sources of light instead). His wife, Amy (Paula Patton), doesn't trust him to remain sober, and his kids are starting to think he's off his rocker. His son, Michael (Cameron Boyce), is having nightmares and acting strange.
Mirrors springs some good jumps near the beginning, and the defiant mirror images are unnerving. There's a mystery to solve for Ben, and he's qualified and well-connected enough to get the job done. The revelation of the nature of the evil in the mirrors, though, is not satisfying - and the eradication of the evil even less so. The rules established for the powers of the mirrors make it unlikely that the entity within would want to get out. If it can go anywhere there's a reflective surface and wreak havoc, then its powers are limitless. The little twist at the end provides some lift and does redeem the narrative to some extent, though it doesn't really make sense. I know it's a supernatural thriller, but it needs to meet its viewers halfway logically.
The Blu-ray release of Mirrors does contain some compelling features for those who wish to explore more deeply. Trouble is, I don't.
|
|
|
