“You wouldn’t think it to look at me, but I’m a very important man. I’ve got a tower.” —Valentine
Today’s quick review: Mirrormask. On the night of her mother’s surgery, Helena (Stephanie Leonidas), a teenage girl who works for her father’s circus, stumbles into a bizarre world plagued by shadow. With the help of a roguish stranger named Valentine (Jason Barry), Helena sets out to find the charm that can restore balance to the world and return her to her home.
Mirrormask is a surreal fantasy movie written by Neil Gaiman. Mirrormask features stunning CGI visuals, a unique art style, and capable writing. The story is a children’s dreamland adventure in the vein of The Wizard of Oz or Alice in Wonderland: a series of challenges strung together with the logic of a dream. However, the movie’s unsettling visuals and abstract plot will be off-putting to many viewers.
Mirrormask has a unique visual style. The fantasy world fuses designs from Helena’s line drawings, the asymmetrical masks of her father’s circus, and the eclectic textures of a collage. The world is populated by a menagerie of masked people and bizarre creatures, and the aesthetic is completed by shadowy lighting, a yellow color palette, and an off-kilter, oddly upbeat soundtrack.
Give Mirrormask a shot if you are a fan of Neil Gaiman or visual surrealism. Mirrormask is a smorgasbord of imagination that will delight the right kind of viewer and repulse all others. For a similar Neil Gaiman story with a different art style and a darker tone, check out Coraline. For a surreal fantasy with more mature themes, check out The Fall or The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.
6.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for astounding visuals and a dreamlike plot.