Susan Granger’s review of “Mirror, Mirror” (Relativity Media)
Told from the vantage point of the Evil Queen (Julia Roberts), Tarsem Singh’s campy, revisionist take on the Snow White tale is a lavish feast for the eyes, even if the fantastical farce falls flat.
Growing up as a veritable prisoner inside the castle after her father, the King, disappeared after a foray in the forest, naïve, 18 year-old Snow White (Lily Collins) has no idea how cruel the Queen, is nor how her people are suffering until, one day, she musters the courage to venture out and explore a nearby village. Appalled and horrified at the poverty her vain, self-absorbed stepmother has caused, Snow tries to enlist the aid of handsome, wealthy Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer). Consumed with jealousy, the Queen orders her servant, Brighton (Nathan Lane), to execute Snow while she secretly slips a love potion into Prince Alcott’s goblet. Abandoned in the forest, Snow is adopted by seven rowdy dwarves and, eventually, develops enough confidence and swordplay skill to battle the Queen, claim her birthright and free the enslaved Prince.
Credited to three screenwriters – Marc Klein, Jason Keller and Melisa Wallack – who incoherently riff on the Brothers Grimm, it’s primarily propelled by the opulent, ornate, occasionally grotesque visuals conceived by India-born Tarsem Singh (“Immortals”) and Japanese designer Eiko Ishioka’s elaborate, extravagantly garish costumes, culminating in an outlandish, Bollywood-like finale.
Self-mocking Julia Roberts savors the villainous treachery. Despite distractingly bushy eyebrows, Lily Collins (daughter of musician Phil) seems insipidly sweet. Armie Hammer (great-grandson of Armand) is hunky, and droll Nathan Lane garners a few laughs. But the dwarves are stilt-walking scene-stealing bandits. Since Disney owns the names Sleepy, Doc, Happy, etc., they’re dubbed Butcher, Wolf, Chuckles, Napoleon, Half Pint, Grubb and Grimm.
FYI: This is the first of two new Snow White adaptations. Starring Kristen Stewart (“Twilight”), “Snow White and the Huntsman” debuts in early June with Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Mirror, Mirror” is an uneven, subversively flamboyant 5, tediously tweaking the’ Once Upon a Time’ concept.
