Movie Review: Mirrors

Upon seeing the trailer for this film I got the distinct impression that it was going to be yet another remake of a Asian horror film. I did a little bit of looking around and could not find anything. This led me to have that sinking feeling that Hollywood had moved on from remaking Asian horror to flat out taking the style and present it as their own. Then I found out that Alexandre Aja was going to be at the helm, this restored a little bit of faith, with a French filter on the Asian style. Now I come to discover that it is indeed a remake, based on a Korean film called Into the Mirror. Still, even with this progression of revelations, I went in hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. In other words, I was attempting to guard against disappointment. As I left the theater, I am glad I erected that wall, it helped soften the blow of what is assuredly not a good film.

Mirrors opens with a deliciously gruesome scene that helps set the stage for what is to come. We see a man feverishly running from something, an unseen pursuer. As he runs, he comes to a dead end in a locker room, the lockers open, each revealing a mirror. On the far wall is a floor to ceiling mirror, and this is where it gets interesting. Want to know what happens? You will just have to subject yourself to the film. While it does a nice job of getting you into the film, it ultimately does not prove terribly important, but it is cool.

That is the biggest problem with the movie, it is more interested in the cool than it is about the story. This is a double edged sword. On one hand this interest in the cool leads to a pervasive eerie atmosphere filled with jump scares that actually work, on the other hand it is all at the expense of a story that makes sense and lacks any sort of internal logic. It is almost like Aja rewrote the script (assuming it made sense to begin with) on the set as cool possibilities presented themselves.

At the heart of our story is Ben Carson (Kiefer Sutherland), looking for work in during the long 24 break). Carson is an ex-cop who had killed a fellow law enforcement officer in the line of duty. This tragic event has sent his life into a downward spiral; he is off the force, living with his sister, Angela (Amy Smart), after becoming estranged from his wife Amy (Paula Patton). He has found solace in the bottom of a bottle, which does not help matters. However, he is working through his issues, even taking a new job as a night watchman at a burned out department store that has the distinctive feature of being filled with mirrors. Now, we all know what that means - that's right: trouble.

Ben spends his nights walking the creepy halls of the husk, filled with debris left over from the fire, including those impeccably polished mirrors. Trouble begins one night when the mirrors begin to reflect things that are not happening, doors opening, fires burning, people dying, the usual. The images take a dangerous turn when they show things happening to Ben, where he feels them, despite the fact that they are not real.

These images seem to be telling him something, leading him somewhere, but it is a mysterious package from his predecessor (seen in that opening sequence) that kick starts the mystery of the mirrors. What is causing them to do what they do, what do they want, and can the killing be stopped? Good questions all, and all that will be answered, however unsatisfactorily.

As Ben digs further into the mystery of the mirrors, the images become increasingly violent, going so far as to target Ben's loved ones. This is the last straw, when those Ben cares about become victims of the mirrors that can only mean one thing: the mirrors must be stopped at all costs.

This journey from the start of the mystery through the conclusion takes so many leaps that it is hard to understand the whys and hows of what is happening. Everything points back to the style over substance that is the true heart of Mirrors. Events happen in rapid succession that flow by at such a pace that you are not given much time to connect the dots, but I assure you that when you reflect on the film you be left at a loss as to how everything goes together.

Kiefer Sutherland does a fine job of holding strong in his performance as Ben Carson. Of course, it comes off as a twist on his Jack Bauer character, but no one can deliver a commanding line like Kiefer. It works here, with some very nice line deliveries and a surprisingly strong emotional component. However, the rest of the cast could not quite keep up. Paula Patton seemed over matched, and Amy Smart just isn't given enough to do.

The direction is quite good from Alexandre Aja, who once again proves he has the skills to deliver a scary movie. Yes, there is an abundance of jump scares, but I found them to work quite well within this frame. The guy simply knows how to make a scary movie. To that end, there is some very nice gore sequences, including the opening and highlighted by the jaw scene that is hinted in the trailer. The problem is that his writing has slipped back somewhat, allowing the focus slip from the story to the scene.

As the writing goes, by Aja and Gregory Levasseur, Mirrors lacks a consistent internal logic. Simply put, the rules keep changing. This gets into a little of what could be called SPOILER territory, so you may want to skip the rest of the review.

The opening scene implies that the force in the mirrors can affect inanimate objects (the lockers), something that goes away for the middle part of the movie. It is implied that the mirrors can show things of the past but cannot verbally tell any information (hence the scratching of "ESSEKER" in the mirror), however later we have Amy speaking from the mirror, leaving me scratching my head. Then after all of the fuss about the mirrors, it turns out that anything that casts a reflection can be a gateway, doorknobs, windows, and in particular pools of water. Another problem is how, all of a sudden, the force on the other side of the reflection can pull beings across the plane to the other side, when Ben's son is pulled into the water, why not do this to anyone else? Let us not forget the finale that reveals a demon leading to a knock down, drag out with Ben, reminding me of the Ash versus Deadite battle at the bottom of the well in Army of Darkness.

Oh yes, there is also a small matter of the ending. Now, how exactly did that happen? I get the gag, and it was a very cool way to end the film (there's that "cool" thing again), but what? All of the mirrors are broken, and we are to believe that he is on the other side? Again, does not really jive with what had been revealed.

I do not require films to spell everything out for me. I do require films to have some sort of internal logic. It does not have to be "realistic" in the truest sense of the word, it is just that the film needs to set its own rules and play by them. Mirrors fails to do that, instead it flies by the seat of its pants to make a movie that looks cool and makes you jump with little regard to actual story. Better luck next time.

Bottomline. A for atmosphere, D for substance. Unfortunately, that D really drags down the overall grade of the movie. This is not an average. I have faith that Aja can right the ship on whatever he delivers next, and perhaps the original source material should take part of the blame (I have not seen the original film yet), but there is no way to absolve the creative team of all culpability. If you are starved for horror, give it a shot; otherwise wait for DVD.

Not Recommended.