7tavern: MirrorMask

MirrorMask

Sound (2)
2.5
Plot (2)
2.5
Cast (2)
2.5
Special Effects (2)
2.5
Length & Pace (2)
2.5
Cinematography (2)
2.5

Directors: Dave McKean,

Writers: Neil Gaiman (story) &,  Dave McKean (story) ...,

Release: 28 October 2005 (Canada)

Tagline: An extraordinary dream quest to rescue a world out of balance.

Plot: In a fantasy world of opposing kingdoms, a 15-year old girl must find the fabled MirrorMask in order to save the kingdom and get home.

Cast:      Stephanie Leonidas - Helena / Anti-Helena,   Jason Barry - Valentine,   Rob Brydon - Morris Campbell / Prime Minister,   Gina McKee - Joanne Campbell / Queen of Light / Queen of Shadows,   Dora Bryan - Aunt Nan,   Stephen Fry - Librarian,   Andy Hamilton - Small Hairy,   Simon Harvey - Sphinx,   Lenny Henry - Cops 1-4,   Robert Llewellyn - Gryphon,   Eryl Maynard - Mrs. Bagwell,   Eve Pearce - Future Fruit Lady,   Nik Robson - Pingo / Bing (as Nik Robinson),   Victoria Williams - Nurse,   Rick Allen - Man In a Box

Runtime: 101 min

Country: UK

Language: English

Company: Jim Henson Productions

Links: IMDb Profile

Categories: Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy

Main

Trailer

CoolAwesomeDuo
Reviews: 258
Points: 0 (Level 1)
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2.5

MirrorMask

“MirrorMask” is a British fairy tale. It’s not well known, but the fact that it was written by Neil Gaiman should be more than enough for anyone to see it. It was directed by Dave McKean, in his directorial debut.

Helena Campbell is a teenage girl who works as a juggler in the family circus, owned by her dad. But, the truth is, she doesn’t want to do it anymore. She wants to go out and see the world. One day she goes to sleep and wakes up in a strange land. There she meets her aide, Valentine. But not everything is great. This fantastic new world is on the verge of destruction, and apparently the only thing that can save it is a charm, the MirrorMask. It’s up to Helena and Valentine to find it.

That is just the basic plot outline, as I don’t want to spoil anything. Expect some mystery and plot twists (sort of). Well, as I said before, Gaiman came up with the story and wrote the screenplay so “MirrorMask” couldn’t turn out bad. For those of you who are not familiar with his work, and need something to compare it to – I’d say Tim Burton’s work would be the closest thing, both story-wise and visually (regarding "MirrorMask", of course).

Speaking of the visuals, there are all sorts of strange creatures and buildings, events and things that do not make much sense. The usual fairy tale stuff, no?

In the role of Helena is Stephanie Leonidas. She is quite awesome, which isn’t much of a surprise when you have a cool surname like that. This… is… Sparta!!!! … … … … Sorry… I’ll also add she is quite a good actress… and very hot. Yeah. Jason Barry is Valentine, Rob Byrdon is Helena’s dad Morris, and Gina McKee her mom Joanne. All of them did a very good job.

The music is also pretty OK, again, kinda tim-burtonish. It was composed and arranged by Iain Bellamy.

If you like fairy tales, it’s the film for you. I am not a fan of fairy tales, myself. Usually, these kinds of films get all mushy-mushy and stuff, which I really, really do not like. “MirrorMask” was different. It wasn’t mushy at all, largely due to the really good cast where no actor annoyed you. And, of course, if you’re a fan of Neil Gaiman, don’t miss it… but you probably watched it already in that case.

Rating: 8/10

- review by Ventilation Shaft

Recommendations:

2010-05-28 04:18:39

Squish
Reviews: 740
Points: 0 (Level 1)
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2.5

MirrorMask (2005)

I'm sorry but in a land whith so many stairs... how did you get so FAT!?

Genre: Adventure Drama Family Fantasy (USA, UK)

Starring: Stephanie Leonidas, Gina McKee (Croupier)

Directed By: Dave McKean

Overview: In a place split into light and dark, a young girl searches for the mask that will mend this world and send her home back to her own.

Performance:

There was a touch of BBC melodrama from time to time. The acting overall was fine and good, but I didn't find it to be spectacular, though I was impressed with the Dark Queen. She was pretty sweet.
Rating: 7

Cinematography:

The visual aspect of this film was obviously of primary importance. The CGI was incredible, my favorite scenes being the those floating giants among that land of staircases, and the panoramic landscapes full of sparkling towers and leaking shadows. Oh, it's pretty. Even the regular world is neat to look at, given that our hero lives in a circus.
Rating: 10

Script:

The writing was decent, very suitable for children, but I found from time to time that it didn't spark the imagination nearly as much as the world itself did. You'd think Gaiman would have done better at writing the thing, but then I'm horribly reminded of Neverwhere, his mini-series that I spat upon in my *Worst Hits * list last year.
Rating: 7

Plot:

The story overall was a little too basic for me. Yes the world was cool, the motives were believable, but the whole sick mother / evil queen connection was weak, the stuff that happened between plot development was very filler, and though overall a simple little tale, I didn't find it very rich or memorable.
Rating: 6

Mood:

The universe is gorgeous, rich, immersive. The only problem I had with it was how that world paralleled this one. The bridge between the two was a little weak. The special effects are super cool, and you will definitely be impressed with the transformation scene, with the clockwork mannequins signing the Carpenters' "Close to you". AMAZING look.
Rating: 9

"Does it feel warm to you? I'm a little warm, what does my temp gauge say?"

Overall Rating: 78% (MirrorMask Shines)

Aftertaste:
I ran into a friend a couple of days later and he felt the same way as I did, but we were certainly in concurrence about the girls we saw this with. The women seem to love it, and not because it's some romantic girly film. Either way, they liked it more than us guys. We thought it was fine.

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Recommendations: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009), Requiem for a Dream, Dawn of the Dead

2010-05-20 05:02:07

CoolAwesomeDuo
Reviews: 258
Points: 0 (Level 1)
Reviewer

MirrorMask

(Read More...)

2010-05-28 04:18:39

Squish
Reviews: 740
Points: 0 (Level 1)
Reviewer

MirrorMask (2005)

I'm sorry but in a land whith so many stairs... how did you get so FAT!? Genre: Adventure Drama Family Fantasy (USA, UK) Starring: Stephanie Leonidas, Gina McKee (Croupier) Directed By: Dave McKean Overview: In a place split into light and dark, a young girl searches for the mask that will mend this world and send her home back to her own. Performance: There was a touch of BBC melodrama from time to time. The acting overall was fine and good, but I didn't find it to be spectacular, though I was impressed with the Dark Queen. She was pretty sweet. Rating: 7 Cinematography: The visual aspect of this film was obviously of primary importance. The CGI was incredible, my favorite scenes being the those floating giants among that land of staircases, and the panoramic landscapes full of sparkling towers and leaking shadows. Oh, it's pretty. Even the regular world is neat to look at, given that our hero lives in a circus. Rating: 10 Script: The writing was decent, very...

(Read More...)

2010-05-20 05:02:07

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