Could be Exhibit A for anyone arguing the case that modern filmmaking lacks a strong sense of story.
MirrorMask
The Other Side of Reason. The Other Side of Fate. The Other Side of Truth.
2005 · 1h 41m · PG
Fantasy
Directed by
Dave McKean
Overview
In a fantasy world of opposing kingdoms, a 15-year old girl must find the fabled MirrorMask in order to save the kingdom and get home.
Director and cast
- Dave McKean Director
- Stephanie Leonidas as Helena
- Jason Barry as Valentine
- Rob Brydon as Morris Campbell / Prime Minister
- Gina McKee as Joanne Campbell / Queen of Light / Queen of Shadows
- Dora Bryan as Aunt Nan
- Stephen Fry as Librarian
- Robert Llewellyn as Gryphon
- Lenny Henry as Cops 1-4
- Nik Robson as Pingo / Bing
- Simon Harvey Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
Leonidas walks this tightrope quite engagingly, showing us a girl on the cusp of womanhood, torn between two competing needs -- to become an adult, to remain a child, to vilify, to revere.
McKean's inexperience as a director trips the film. There is so much going on that the viewer can't take in all the imagery, and McKean's devotion to his skewed vision slows the story to a crawl.
Too long, and too rich, for its own good, but clearly Gaiman and McKean were bursting with ideas. Those ideas fly all over the place, sometimes landing with a thunk, but more often taking the breath away.
A 30-minute idea wrapped in a 100-minute movie. It's a jewel box filled with cubic zirconia.
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