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 (2008)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
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 ultimately uninteresting work that serves as a potential low point for one of the more promising genre filmmakers in recent times
In the end, the story fizzles out, with the second stanza bordering on the downright farcical.
An unexpected twist elevates this well constructed supernatural thriller whose chilling concepts and vivid imagery make it a scary experience.
I love a good horror movie, and this offered something different from slasher remakes and zombie flicks.
I suppose Offscreen Spring-Loaded Cats is in active development even as I write.
When we should be feeling fascinated by the unfolding mystery and creeped out by things acting up nastily, we instead find ourselves thinking too much and asking questions.
[Aja's] pedal-to-the-metal intensity only serves to heighten the film's fundamental ridiculousness.
There's no denying it has its moments. There's also no denying it doesn't have enough of them.
Aja attempts to take a slow-burning ghost story and turn it into one of his over-the-top gorefests and loses the essence of the story in his endeavors... before wasting any money on this at theaters, you should probably reflect on it a bit...
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.
With Aja slathering on the cheap boo scares, overseeing rancid performances, barely investing in his screenplay, and showing questionable gorehound taste in violent imagery, Mirrors eventually reflects absolute tedium.
By the time he pulls a gun on someone pivotal to the mystery, it's not that the movie is doing 24. It's just that the movie has no motivation for that character to be involved, so they force it, via his Jack Bauer moves.
It's not the worst entry in Hollywood's catalogue of Asian horror remakes, but is Aja's most disappointing film to date.
Alexandre Aja keeps the suspense tight for most of the movie, only to fritter it away in an overblown ending.
Alex Aja has not only made the worst film of his career in Mirrors, he's made possibly the worst film of the year.
As Joe Bob Briggs used to say: "too much plot gets in the way of the story."
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.
The script fails to come up with a convincing reason for the mirrors behaving as nastily as they do, and the final twist is effective only if you don't, as it were, reflect upon it.
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. ![]()
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. ![]()
More...
More Movies
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 70% 70% | Where the Wild Things Are | 03/12 |
| 84% 84% | Paranormal Activity | 03/12 |
| 89% 89% | Zombieland | 03/12 |
| 76% 76% | The Informant! | 03/12 |
| | The Strength of Water | 03/12 |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Fresh Links
Featured

Tim Burton's costume designer talks to Movieline about her long collaboration with the filmmaker and Johnny Depp.

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

We've got 20 copies of the hit TV series' Pilot Episode to giveaway.

Double passes up for grabs to the new comedy starring Paul Giamatti.

Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.
Competitions

Enough Prequel, Original Trilogy and Family Guy DVDs to fill a space cruiser

Everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace could be yours.

We're giving away the 10th Anniversary Blu-ray, plus Braveheart and the Rocky collection



Top Critic

