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MOVIES / ON DVD / MIRRORMASK
MirrorMask

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MirrorMask (2005)

52%
50%
75%
N/A
N/A
N/A
52 %
Reviews Counted: 83 Fresh: 43  Rotten:40 Average Rating: 5.8/10
 
Consensus: While visually dazzling, there isn't enough story to hang all the fancy effects on.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Rated: PG

Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins

Theatrical Release: 03-03-2006

Synopsis: Reminiscent of ALICE IN WONDERLAND and LABYRINTH, MIRRORMASK is a fantasy tale of an intelligent young girl on a journey through a magical world. It is also a visually astounding piece of filmmaking, updating the fairy-tale quest in a coming-of-age story imbued with dark beauty. Written by... Reminiscent of ALICE IN WONDERLAND and LABYRINTH, MIRRORMASK is a fantasy tale of an intelligent young girl on a journey through a magical world. It is also a visually astounding piece of filmmaking, updating the fairy-tale quest in a coming-of-age story imbued with dark beauty. Written by Neil Gaiman (SANDMAN) and directed by frequent collaborator and illustrator Dave McKean, the film mixes live action and animation, and manages to keep the graphic novelists' aesthetic largely intact: the frames are full of weirdly-skewed perspectives, foggy patches, and mismatched textures that appear grandly decayed. Stephanie Leonidas plays Helena, a young girl who juggles in her father's circus, but longs for a "normal" life. She spends her free time drawing elaborate, fantastical black-and-white pictures which cover every surface of her bedroom. One night, after an argument with her mother (Gina McKee) during which Helena lets fly some rather painful pronouncements, Mom falls ill with an unspecified affliction. As the family waits for news and the circus struggles financially, Helena blames herself for the misfortune. The night before her mother's surgery, Helena is mysteriously transported to a world which bears a strong resemblance to her own drawings, and is populated by strange creatures who follow an even stranger logic. Helena and her traveling companion, fellow juggler Valentine (Jason Barry), sign on to find a mysterious charm which will wake the queen of the city--also played by McKee--from her deep sleep, defeating the forces of darkness and returning Helena home. The film's outstanding art direction is complemented by witty dialogue and some genuinely creepy moments (the words "don't let them see you're afraid" are chill-inducing). Meanwhile, Leonidas's performance is remarkable, maintaining a likeability, charm, and freshness that is all the more amazing considering it was delivered against a green screen, with her special-effect co-stars edited in later. [More]

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Starring: Stephanie Leonidas, Dora Bryan, Gina McKee, Rob Brydon, Andy Hamilton

Director: Dave McKean
Screenwriter: Neil Gaiman
Producer: Lisa Henson, Michael Polis, Simon Moorhead

DVD Info

Release:

Feb 2, 2007

[DVD Details]
  • DVD Features
  • Region 1
  • Keep Case
  • Widescreen
  • Audio:

    • Dolby 5.1 - English, Portuguese, Thai
    • Dolby Surround Sound - French
    • Subtitles - Chinese, English, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai - Optional

    Additional Release Material:

    • Audio Commentary - Dave McKean - Director/Writer
    • Featurettes - 1. Neil Gaiman
    • 2. Dave McKean talks about the film
    • 3. Beginnings
    • 4. Cast & Crew
    • 5. Day 16
    • 6. Flight of the Monkeybirds
    • 7. Giants Development
    • Interview - Questions & Answers

    Reviews

     
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    1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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    N/R

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    Full Review | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Time Out
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    Ratings Image
    3/5

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    Full Review | comment Comment
    04/01/06
    Empire Magazine
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    N/R

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    Full Review | comment Comment
    03/11/06
    BBC
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    4/5

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    Full Review | comment Comment
    03/11/06
    Simon Guerrier
    FilmFocus
    N/R

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    Full Review | comment Comment
    03/04/06
    Peter Bradshaw
    Guardian [UK]
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    Ratings Image
    3/5

    This strange, imaginative children's adventure has a fantastic visual sense that looks like nothing you've seen

    Full Review | comment Comment
    10/27/05
    Rich Cline
    Shadows on the Wall
    Ratings Image
    3/5

    MirrorMask proves that a movie can be brilliant and awful at the same time.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    07/18/08
    Rob Gonsalves
    eFilmCritic.com
    N/R

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    Full Review | comment Comment
    08/16/07
    Dave Calhoun
    Time Out New York
    N/R

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    Full Review | comment Comment
    07/01/06
    Sydney Morning Herald
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    3/5

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    Full Review | comment Comment
    05/12/06
    Jim Lane
    Sacramento News & Review
    Ratings Image
    3/4

    This one-of-a-kind fantasy film may be seen as a classic someday, possibly quite soon.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    02/07/06
    Kurt Loder
    MTV
    Ratings Image
    B-

    ...one of those movies that might be improved immensely by the consumption of certain mood-altering substances.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    12/12/05
    Philip Martin
    Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
    N/R

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    Full Review | comment Comment
    12/06/05
    Ethan Alter
    NYC Film Critic
    Ratings Image
    N/A

    What a disappointment! The greatest fantasy novels and films are products of the unconscious - they have the authority of visions, glimpsed though imperfectly understood. But the creators of MirrorMask remain all too wide awake.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    12/05/05
    Urban Cinefile Critics
    Urban Cinefile
    Ratings Image
    '2/4'

    A wonder of imaginative design and a failure of imaginative storytelling; after 101 minutes of this, you feel like a starving man being taunted with a Faberge egg.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    11/07/05
    John Beifuss
    Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
    Ratings Image
    N/A

    “MirrorMask” may prove fascinating for fans of McKean and Gaiman, but I was left chilled and irritated.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    11/07/05
    Angela Baldassarre
    Sympatico.ca
    Ratings Image
    1.5/4

    [Director Dave] McKean's pacing is abominable but, more importantly, he doesn't spend enough time building his characters.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    11/04/05
    Forrest Hartman
    Reno Gazette-Journal
    Ratings Image
    3/5

    An impressive sheen on some familiar themes.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    11/03/05
    Josh Bell
    Las Vegas Weekly
    Ratings Image
    1.5/4

    Could be Exhibit A for anyone arguing the case that modern filmmaking lacks a strong sense of story.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    10/28/05
    Peter Howell
    Toronto Star
    Ratings Image
    3.5/5

    It is so fresh, so bold and so fantastical on the visual plane that it seems to re-invent the language of dreams and widen the possibilities of fantasy storytelling.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    10/28/05
    Bruce Kirkland
    Jam! Movies
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