An ultimately uninteresting work that serves as a potential low point for one of the more promising genre filmmakers in recent times
Mirrors (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:79
Fresh:12
Rotten:67
Average Rating:3.9/10
Consensus: Inconsistency and listless plot make this K-horror remake a less-than-frightening time at the movies.
Australian Rating: MA15+ [See Full Rating] Strong horror violence
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Australian Theatrical Release:
Nov 6, 2008 Wide
US Box Office: $30,575,158
Synopsis: French director Alexandre Aja adds to his growing canon of horror features with this remake of the Korean feature GEOUL SOKEURO (2003). Kiefer Sutherland stars as Ben Carson, a disgraced former New... French director Alexandre Aja adds to his growing canon of horror features with this remake of the Korean feature GEOUL SOKEURO (2003). Kiefer Sutherland stars as Ben Carson, a disgraced former New York City cop who attempts to put his checkered past behind him by taking a job as a security guard. Carson is required to take the night shift in a department store in the city. The store closed down after a fire put an end to its business, and Carson soon discovers that malevolent spirits are lurking behind its walls. The spirits connect with the human world through the mirrors in the store, and when they discover Carson's presence they go after his ex-wife, Amy (Paula Patton), and his kids (played by Erica Gluck and Cameron Boyce). Carson attempts to figure out the meaning of a cryptic message carved into one of the mirrors, hoping it will save his family and cut off contact with the malignant lurking presence. Aja successfully replicates much of the tension and edge-of-your-seat moments that he managed so skillfully in HAUTE TENSION (2003). The film begins with an unnerving set piece in which Carson's predecessor takes a shard of mirror and slashes his own throat, and it's an indication of the gore-filled fun that awaits intrepid viewers. Aja creates a palpable sense of unease by shooting dim-lit set pieces in the department store. Sutherland makes for a convincing lead in a character that closely resembles his turn as Jack Bauer in 24. There are plenty of genuine scares in the film, and the director ultimately spins MIRRORS as a cross between a psychological thriller in the vein of the POLTERGEIST movies and a no-holds-barred splatter flick. [More]
Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Amy Smart, Jason Flemyng
Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Amy Smart, Jason Flemyng, Erica Gluck, Cameron Boyce
Director: Alexandre Aja
Director: Alexandre Aja
Screenwriter: Alexandre Aja, Gregory Levasseur
Producer: Alexandra Milchan, Marc Sternberg, Gregory Levasseur
Composer: Javier Navarrete
Reviews for Mirrors
An unexpected twist elevates this well constructed supernatural thriller whose chilling concepts and vivid imagery make it a scary experience.
In the end, the story fizzles out, with the second stanza bordering on the downright farcical.
The unfeasibly large number of scenes where Sutherland must swap lines with the title characters makes the wait to get to the good stuff feel like an eternity.
Mirrors isn't going to do Aja's burgeoning stateside career any favors.
As Joe Bob Briggs used to say: "too much plot gets in the way of the story."
Mirrors is too lugubrious and misconceived to reflect the talent of those involved.
Some credit for this stylish screamer goes to Sutherland, forming his doughy-handsome features into an emotional punchbag. More credit goes to Nemec, sowing a harvest of dark invention in the vast spaces.
The ground zero for ghosts here is a burned-out luxury New York department store, making this yet another thriller with post-9/11 associations.
Alexandre Aja's inability to delineate credible or interesting characters results in 110 wasted minutes for anyone unfortunate to wander into an auditorium where this is playing.
The concept isn't the problem here, it's the execution. Never campy enough to qualify as a guilty pleasure or consistently scary enough to work as pure horror.
Aja...apparently thinks that metaphysical speculation is for wimps; his audience wants red meat, and he's going to give it them, no matter how inappropriate it is.
at some point Aja appears to have decided that he cannot be bothered with all this remake malarkey, and instead he just goes completely ape with his plotting...could well go on to become a cult classic.
The remake retains the sensationally creepy ending and it's all reasonably done, but no real chills.
Filmmaker Alex Aja is a dab hand with the gore, and it's only too bad you've already seen most of the movie's good stuff in the trailers and advertisements.
I suppose Offscreen Spring-Loaded Cats is in active development even as I write.
At nearly two hours, Mirrors is overlong for a summer horror toss-off, and the movie's three or four false endings make it seem even more of a haul.
It skirts along the edge of greatness, but for every one thing it does right, it does another so inconceivably wrong.
I love a good horror movie, and this offered something different from slasher remakes and zombie flicks.
Latest News for Mirrors
October 10, 2008:
Exclusive: Alexandre Aja talks Mirrors and Piranha 3D
We caught up with Aja for his only UK interview to learn more about the movie as well as his latest project, a 3D remake of Joe Dante's classic Piranha. More...
September 02, 2008:
RT's Summer in Review: The Best, The Worst, and Our Favorite Films!
The summer movie season of 2008 ended last weekend, and boy, was it a good one. Led by box office smashes like Iron Man, Wall-E, and The Dark Knight, Hollywood raked in the... More...
August 22, 2008:
Supernatural troublemakers and psychos under glass in an endlessly dreary, disappointing remake having less to do with keeping you awake at night than struggling to stay awake during viewing. ![]()
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August 22, 2008:
Supernatural troublemakers and psychos under glass in an endlessly dreary, disappointing remake having less to do with keeping you awake at night than struggling to stay awake during viewing. ![]()
More...
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