In the end, the story fizzles out, with the second stanza bordering on the downright farcical.
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
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.
An unexpected twist elevates this well constructed supernatural thriller whose chilling concepts and vivid imagery make it a scary experience.
An ultimately uninteresting work that serves as a potential low point for one of the more promising genre filmmakers in recent times
Clunky dialogue sets up the film, unlikely backstory drives it along, and it all concludes in a ludicrous cataclysm of cinematic hyperbole.
As Joe Bob Briggs used to say: "too much plot gets in the way of the story."
I love a good horror movie, and this offered something different from slasher remakes and zombie flicks.
In SUSPIRIA, Udo Kier says that "Bad luck isn't caused by broken mirrors, but by broken minds"-Well after making this silly movie, director Alexandre Aja might think otherwise
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.
Jack Bauer can disarm nuclear weapons without breaking a sweat, but he apparently can't locate a script worthy of his real-life alter ego.
Faint praise alert! Mirrors is nowhere near as bad as the initial reviews - and poor box office - portend.
Despite some creepy scenes and superb special effects, Mirrors is let down by a ludicrous script and some dodgy acting, though it remains watchable on a so-bad-it's-good level.
Te story is efficient but strangely uninvolving and not nearly as scary as the Korean version.
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.
On reflection, Mirrors may have been better going straight to the DVD shelf.
This lame supernatural horror screams straight-to-DVD, with little in the way of scares, but yawns aplenty.
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.
There's a crippling sense of familiarity about the whole shebang that no one seems remotely bothered about fixing. Let's hope they all get seven years bad luck.
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...
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