Before we hop into the review today, I want to talk a bit about Neil Gaiman.
I've gone through several periods of my life in which I dove headfirst into reading comic books. Lately this obsession has been with the Hellboy/B.P.R.D. shared comics universe created by Mike Mignola. We'll be coming back to that in full force soon enough, but today we're talking about my teenage years.
I can't quite remember how old I was, but I want to say I was sixteen or so. I had a job by then, so I would have my own money, so it times out right. Anyway, I had happened upon volume 1 of a series of graphic novels called Sandman, written, obviously, by Neil Gaiman. I was hooked instantly.
I'm not here to review Sandman (we'll save that for later) but suffice it to say that from that moment forward, Neil Gaiman was my favorite writer. Admittedly, I never read much of his prose work, but I called him my favorite writer for a long time. I'm not sure whom I would call my favorite writer these days, but he's definitely still near the top as far as comic books go.
Today, however, we'll be looking at a movie. The relevance is that this is an original movie from the minds of Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean. Around the time I was reading Sandman, I wanted to see this movie so badly, but I never got a chance to.
As of today, that's no longer the case.
MIRRORMASK (2005)
Blogtober Qualifications: Masks, other worlds, moving shadows, mid-2000s CG
Helena Campbell (Stephanie Leonidas) just wants to be normal. Unfortunately for her, her parents, Morris (Rob Brydon) and Joanne (Gina McKee), run a traveling circus, and she's one of the stars of the show (a juggler). After an argument between Helena and her mother, Joanne is suddenly struck by an illness that puts her in the hospital.
As Joanne convalesces, the circus begins to fall apart. The performers, tired of not being paid while waiting for Joanne to recover, begin leaving one by one in the hopes of finding work elsewhere. Helena visits her mother in the hospital everyday, but can't shake the guilt she feels for the things she said to her mother, not to mention worrying for her mother's life.
One night, after falling asleep, Helena awakens in a strange, but familiar world. In this world, moving shadows devour people in the streets, and the sun is going out. The queen of the land has fallen ill, and only the Charm can revive her. Helped along the way by local juggler Valentine (Jason Barry), Helena sets off on a quest to find the Charm and revive the land
So first off, this movie has a pretty loyal cult following. I feel the need to be careful with what I say here. This is a young blog, after all, and the last thing I need is to start a flame war. Still, I have to say what I feel, so here we go.
Mirrormask is okay. It's not great, it's not terrible, it's just okay, with slight leaning towards good. But why?
Well, to be fair, the story is much more original than my poorly-written synopsis can make it sound. There are some really good ideas, and things I've never seen before. The humor of the movie is subtle, because it's Neil Gaiman so of course it is. In fact, pretty much everything in the movie is subtle, outside of how odd the other world is. But there are a lot of really good ideas on display here. Admittedly, I preferred the scenes before Helena enters the other world, but there's a good reason for that, which I'll get to in a moment. But yeah, the story itself is creative, unique, and pretty insightful, if you're paying attention.
Where it falls apart is in the execution. Let me explain.
So this movie is live action, but most of it takes place in a world that is completely CG. And it was made in 2005. Everything in the other world, except (usually) the actors, is either digitally created or digitally enhanced. And I know how this sounds, and I really hate to say it, but the CG just doesn't stand up.
Y'know the early episodes of the current Doctor Who series (which started the same year, no less)? This is not an indictment of the show itself, but just allow yourself to remember how bad the digital effects were for pretty much all of the Russell T. Davies era. Imagine that, but it's taking up 90% of the screen, in nearly every single scene.
Beyond that (or perhaps because of it), the colors are bland, with everything being tinted slightly varying shades of dull yellow. The camera, too, seems incapable of any middle ground between extreme single character close up and 50 yards distant, and always at an odd angle. The last couple points may be a stylistic decision, which I could put up with and even enjoy, but not when what it's filming is visually unappealing and covered in a hazy yellow filter.
It's unfortunate, too, because a lot of the stuff I'm seeing seems like it should be really cool, and some of the creative elements actually do manage to shine through. I won't spoil anything, but my favorite scene in the movie takes place in a building of some sort called "Giants Orbiting." That part is definitely worth seeing.
Where the movie really shines, at least in my opinion, is Helena herself. Her age is left vague, but she's clearly meant to be in her middle teens somewhere. The actress, Stephanie Leonidas, was 21 at the time, and I couldn't tell, but I wasn't surprised. She does an amazing job as Helena, and if she had actually been 15 or so, it would have been unbelievable. The character (or the actress) is just genuinely likable and charming, and she carries the movie handily. She's just a treat to watch.
Most of the other characters flit in and out and don't get to do much, with Valentine being the exception. He's Helena's traveling companion for most of the movie, but I never really grew attached to him. He's the type of character I tend not to like very much, so I guess it's not surprising. Still, he's fine, I guess.
The music doesn't always fit the scene, but that's okay because most of it sounds like music from a PS1-era Spyro game. This is absolutely a compliment.
All in all, Mirrormask is a collection of honestly great ideas, hobbled by old age. If you love the movie, you're not wrong in that regard and, had I seen it when I was younger, I probably would too. Hell, if you don't think the visuals will bother you, then I think it's absolutely worth your time. For me, though, it just couldn't stand up under the weight of its own ambition.
Tomorrow we'll be looking at a movie based on one of my favorite comics universes, created by one of my favorite comics writers, directed by my favorite director. Oh, and I mentioned it earlier.
Betcha can't guess what it is.
Until next time!
Current interests:
Listening - Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here (1975)
Playing - Grim Dawn (2016)
Reading - Abe Sapien: The Secret Fire (2016)
Watching - Thunderbirds Are Go! (2015)
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