MirrorMask
Directed by: Dave McKean
Written by: Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
Starring: Stephanie Leonidas, Jason Barry, Rob Brydon, Gina McKee

Ever since the death of visionary Jim Henson, his wonderful production company has found itself on a bit of a downward slide. They’ve kept busy doing effects for shows like Farscape and put out a few mediocre Muppets movies, but without any real inspiration or creativity to guide them they just sort of… lost their edge. Recently, someone at Henson Co. took a look back at the classics they had been reponsible for in the 80’s and realized that an all new, original movie was what the company needed to get them back on track. It was this goal that put them in touch with artist Dave McKean, and thus the demented and visually inventive world of MirrorMask was born.

With a mere 4 million dollars at his disposal, and the help of writer and former collaborator Neil Gaiman, McKean bravely set out to create a warped fairytale of his own that would do for Henson what Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal did for them back in the day. Whether or not he succeeded… well that’s another issue entirely.

The story finds Helena, a young girl whose family runs a circus, just wishing she could have a normal life. When her mother falls ill and is hospitalized, Helena is plagued with guilt and enters a strange dream world where everyone wears masks. In this world there is a White Queen who is also sick, and can only be saved with the help of the fabled MirrorMask. Along with a juggler named Valentine and a “really useful book”, she sets off to save the world and find her way home.

One of the problems with this movie is that despite the unique visual style, the story itself feels like a throwaway copy of other children’s fairy tales. Why must there always be witches and masks and funny little men with British accents? Neil Gaiman’s clever dialogue keeps the movie from getting too dull, but the one thing that is really lacking in this fantasy story is a sense of adventure. Oh sure there are all kinds of strange sights and plenty of bizarre creatures for Helena to meet up with along the way, but it just feels like she’s walking from one computer generated background to the next, alternating between cute, oddball characters and malevolent creatures trying to harm her. There is very little plot and no sense of danger for the most part. For something that is intended to be primarily a children’s movie, it seems a little dry.

There is certainly plenty of eye candy in this movie, but also lots of trippy imagery that might be potentially disturbing to younger viewers (not to mention adults). While this kind of weird psychadelic stuff might have seemed normal for a kid’s movie in the 80’s, I think it is only nostalgia that makes anyone think of it fondly. There’s a difference between being imaginative and being borderline nonsensical. Still, from a visual standpoint MirrorMask has few other equals… the only other movie I can think of that comes close is The Cell. But at least that movie had a run-of-the-mill serial killer storyline that gave its vast canvas of images a reason to exist.

McKean and the Jim Henson Co. use just about every special effects tool ever invented to bring the world to life; from live action to stop motion to CGI to puppets, it all melds together into one of the most surreal fantasy worlds you’re likely to see in a movie. It is certainly original, and if you’re a fan of McKean’s artwork this movie is basically like living inside it. Personally, I found the artistic style a little inconsistent… some of the garish colours and annoying musical interludes just gave me a headache.

Ultimately, this is what happens when you take a brilliant visual artist and give him complete free reign over a movie. So much attention is given to the colours, shapes and textures of the world, that the story seems like a mere afterthought. Although I wanted to appreciate MirrorMask for more than just its artistic merit, I was simply uninterested most of the time, if not downright annoyed. I’d call it a disappointment but I think deep down this is probably about what I was expected from it in the first place. Unique, but definitely not recommended unless you are the artistic type. — Sean

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Recommended If You Like: Return To Oz, Labyrinth, The Neverending Story, The Cell