Did we really need another retelling of Snow White? While i'll admit to being intrigued by the different approach the fairy tale is being given for SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, I would be perfectly content living the rest of my days having only the Disney version in my head. I didn't really need a reimagining.
Then along comes MIRROR MIRROR, surprising me with its mild pleasantness as something I’d have no problem taking children to, not something I’d necessarily go see on my own. This is not made for the grown folk. But as a comedy aimed at kids, it works enough to be a decent movie.
The story roughly sticks to the legend with Snow White’s (Lily Collins) mother, the queen, dying at childbirth and the King remarrying the evil Queen (Julia Roberts). One day while in the Dark Woods the King disappears and the Queen is left to rule. The kingdom becomes poor as the Queen overtaxes the people so she can stay wealthy and maintain her position of power. When Snow White falls in love with a wealthy prince (Armie Hammer) the Queen orders Snow White killed so that she may marry the prince instead and maintain her lifestyle. Snow White is spared her life and forced to live in the woods with a group of rowdy dwarves as she plots a way to win back the throne.
There was quite a bit wrong at first sight with MIRROR MIRROR. The story was thin, the characters were one-dimensional and the accents were all over the place. But the more I watched, the more I came to realize that MIRROR MIRROR is basically a big screen version of Snow White, as it would have been told by the Disney Channel or ABC Family. The plot is overly simple, a guy and girl you root for, a villain and funny sidekicks. Mix in some clearly fake set pieces, a bit of humor, a sprinkle of modern dialogue, a dash of PG drama, love and action and you've got yourself a nice little made-for-TV family movie. MIRROR MIRROR plays out like one with a much bigger budget and better talent, and once I recognized where I had seen this style before, I was able to laugh at the flaws rather than criticize them.
It is quite clear that everything is being shot on sets and they don’t try to hide it. The floor is always so even. You never see the tops of trees and everything is seen from just one angle, never a complete room or space. The love and fights scenes are very tame and PG. When the dwarves rob the Prince they hardly attack him. Instead they perform some circus-type acrobatics to disarm him. The characters themselves are very campy and either so terribly sweet or so positively villainous. There is no in-between. And the dwarves are pure comedic relief, acting like the Three, rather Seven Stooges throughout the film. Everyone uses really casual, modern language that makes it sound like the script was written by middle schoolers. When the Prince and Snow White have a flirty little fencing battle in the forest the Prince says “You’re beautiful” and Snow responds, “And you’re a jerk.” Nothing sexy or charming about that. That’s some straight fifth grade type flirting right there.
The cast does a decent job portraying their fairy tale characters. Collins is fine playing the sweet, noble princess who isn’t swayed by any type of danger. Hammer is every bit the handsome young prince, although it does seem like a fall from grace to go from THE SOCIAL NETWORK and working with Clint Eastwood to being beaten up by a group of dwarves. Roberts clearly relishes playing such a snarky bitch of a queen. Mind you it’s a bit on the reserved side, considering the family focus, but there's a hefty amount of rudeness when she speaks to others and is a borderline cougar. She insults Snow White to her face, has no qualms about saying she is only getting married to be rich and is practically eye fucking the Prince when she first meets him. She stands out from the bunch and is genuinely funny, rightly earning the most screen time.
Somewhere inside of it all, MIRROR MIRROR hits those basic enjoyment factors. It’s goofy, has friendly comedy, funny characters, colorful costumes and a valiant hero. I could laugh at the stupid jokes without rolling my eyes, laugh at the poorly constructed sets and derive some type of pleasure watching it. However let me repeat, if you try to watch this as a serious adult or attempt to compare it with the actual story of Snow White or even the Disney version then you have wasted your money. It is not meant to be scrutinized that way. It is simply silly, harmless family fun meant for preteen boys and girls to enjoy a fairy tale.
