Review of Mirror Mirror (2012) by Alan Fong D — 22 Aug 2012

Cheerful, bright and family-friendly elements may be the only obvious essences portrayed in the film trailer. When compared to the other upcoming 'Snow White & The Huntsman' project, this Tarsem Singh-directed production is clearly a story running on a different scope.

Unlike the grittier Kristen Stewart's darker battle armour-donning version of the character, 'Mirror Mirror' is an effective retelling of the Snow White tale. The background setting is grandeur in the sense of absolute simplicity.

Instead of solely focusing on costly and at times commonly overdone special effects, the film presses more on character performance, which was eventually highlighted as one of the best aspects in the movie.

Fair skin, jet-black hair and playing the titular role to near-perfection, Lily Collins, the daughter of musician Phil Collins, has effectively embodied the spirit of Snow White much like Disney's.

Not to mention the great times Julia Roberts were having playing the extremely vain Evil Queen. Armie Hammer, of The Social Network fame, exudes princely charm and charisma. Surprisingly, the slapstick jokes, mostly performed by The Seven Dwarves here, come up as cute and adorable instead of being annoying and irksome.

Lastly, the costume designs are something to look forward to. Definitely something to cheer you up on a mundane weekend. After all, fairy-tales sometimes are meant to be flamboyantly illogical and ridiculous.

(Once upon a time, there was a kingdom where people sing and dance all day without even trying to be worried of losing their jobs and keeping the food on their tables, if you know what I mean..).