MirrorMask

MirrorMask – Helena is a highly creative girl who wants to run away from the circus and join real life. After an argument, her mother collapses and Helena blames herself. One night she finds herself somehow transported to a fantastical land full of oddly familiar creatures. Everyone wears masks, but the all-powerful MirrorMask has been stolen, leaving the Queen of Light in a coma. Helena, and her charming but cowardly friend Valentine, must find the MirrorMask quickly, not only to save the Queen, but also to stop the world from being destroyed around them.

MirrorMask (2005) – Director: Dave McKean

Rating: PG

Running Length: 101 mins

Starring: Stephanie Leonidas, Jason Barry, Rob Brydon

Genre: Fantasy

REVIEW – ‘MIRRORMASK’

‘MirrorMask’ has a high fantasy pedigree. With a script penned by author and screenwriter Neil Gaiman (‘Sandman’, ‘Coraline’, ‘Stardust’), design and direction by artist Dave McKean (who has designed cover art for Gaiman, Tori Amos and Counting Crows) and funding provided by Jim Henson Pictures (‘Labyrinth’, ‘Dark Crystal’, ‘The NeverEnding Story’), ‘MirrorMask’ is a movie about falling deep into a richly imagined world. While at times the jazz soundtrack and abstract visuals can make ‘MirrorMask’ seem a little bit like it is trying too hard, once the film settles down into giving its characters a purpose, the sheer amount of creativity on camera is enthralling.

The essential plot is nothing new, involving a teenage girl in a strange land having to hunt down the one item that will save the day. But elements of this twist it beyond the norm. It’s fun that Helena is essentially running away from the circus, and when she sees her ‘replacement’ through windows into the real world who is acting like a horrible teenager the metaphor for growing up and feeling like watching yourself act out is subtly done.

What gives ‘MirrorMask’ its distinctiveness is its very stylised look. The City of Light is full of strange creatures and half formed structures. The flip side of the City of Shadows is full of ominous colours and jagged edges. The middle world of the Dreamlands has floating memories and abstract ideas. And in amongst it all there is the likeable duo of teenage girl out-of-place Helena, and selfish, charming but slightly cowardly companion, Valentine. Their pairing grounds the exploration of the fantasy world of ‘MirrorMask’ so that things never get too obscure, even when the film starts throwing human faced cats-sphinxes at you!

This is a movie for kids who enjoy a healthy dose of the ‘other’. Enthralling and engaging, ‘MirrorMask’ provides an unusual and unforgettable movie experience.

CONTENT – IS ‘MIRRORMASK’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

The majority of the frightening scenes occur when Helena is in the City of Light. She is first introduced to the fantasy world when she meets 3 circus performers. While she is trying to understand what is happening, two of these performers are consumed by a slowly encroaching shadow, making it look like they have been turned to stone. While the other performer, Valentine, helps her get to safety and Helena isn’t overly scared, this could potentially be quite scary for children who are not expecting the film to move in this direction. Helena and Valentine race to get away and Valentine is rather scared. However the method of their escape is a creative one and shortly after there is a rather comic conversation between them which eases the tension

The sphinxes may also be a little scary. They are the size of house cats and have human faces. They start off placid but soon become more threatening, especially when several of them surround Helena and Valentine and keep saying ‘hungry’. Helena has been told not to let them see that she is afraid and the implication is clearly that they can be dangerous creatures. There is a lot of zoom-in shots on their strange features and once or twice they snarl aggressively. Thankfully, they are quite easily distracted and the scenes with them are tense but short.

The Queen of Shadows, as the movie’s villain, is likely to be the most frightening character for children. One of her minions is a large spider with an eyeball on its back. She uses it to see where Helena is and what she is doing. One scene shows this spider reporting back to her. It attaches to her face and the gigantic eyeball sits over her own eye.

Helena is eventually captured by The Queen of Shadows and used as a replacement for her own daughter, who has run away. Helena is taken to a room where large robotic figures slowly emerge from boxes, they sing in a sweet but warped and slow manner, increasing the feeling of unease. They sprinkle glitter over Helena and, like a drug, it makes her sleepy and controllable. The end of this scene has a close-up of Helena’s face and her eyes turn pure black, showing that she is now completely under the Queen’s spell. The Queen herself switches from oozing childish reassurances to growling snarling aggression. When she is angry her voice drops to a deeper and more intimidating pitch. This happens several times throughout the film but is always a ‘flash in the pan’ and over quickly.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT – IS ‘MIRRORMASK’ FOR KIDS?

‘MirrorMask’ is a fantastically creative and wonderfully realised experience. The combination of director, McKean’s distinct visual look and writer, Gaiman’s twist on a teenage runaway story make for a rich and full world. This is a movie that will appeal to adults and children alike but appeal most to those who like a healthy dose of the fantasy surrealism in their entertainment. We believe that ‘MirrorMask’ may be inappropriate for a child under 5 purely because it can often be a little unclear what is actually happening due to the abstractness on-screen. Also children between 5 – 7 may find some of the threatening elements a little strong due to the inherent strangeness. Therefore ‘MirrorMask’ should be suitable for children over 7 and those under this age may require some supervision on first viewing.

• Violence:  0/5
• Emotional Distress: 3/5 (Helena’s mum gets taken to hospital and soon needs to have an operation. Helena is desperately worried about her, feeling guilty as the two of them had an argument on the evening that her mum fell ill)
• Fear Factor: 3/5 (Mostly during the scenes in the fantasy world)
• Sexual Content: 1/5 (The Queen of Shadows’ daughter her taken Helena’s place in the real world. Helena often sees her through windows and at one time, she sees her kissing an older boy in her bedroom)   
• Bad Language: 1/5
• Dialogue: 1/5  
• Other notes: Deals with themes of growing up, being responsible and being true to yourself.

Words by Mike Record and Laura Record

[amazon_link asins=’B000EU1K6E,B00S1677JM,B00FT6RY9A,0060823798,0747599866,B010EH5NQ4′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’isthimovsui-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’c3393be4-b98f-11e8-afaa-2f243b667a04′]