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''My family's not dying tonight.''
An ex-cop and his family are the target of an evil force that is using mirrors as a gateway into their home.
Kiefer Sutherland: Ben Carson
Mirrors begins by showing us a security man trying to escape from an unseen force in the confines of a locker room.
Then cue to Kiefer Sutherland as he starts his first day on the job in a large complex that resembles a castle or museum with giant ceilings and Greek columns. The mall burnt and ashy, currently vacant only containing leftovers from the stores mainly mannequins, furniture, and huge mirrors. The mirrors are immaculate. We are informed that Kiefer's predecessor slaved over keeping them clean.
The life of Kiefer's character is a contorted mess. Jobless from the police force, divorced and in trouble with his lovely wife over the two siblings, sleeping on his lovely sister's couch and apparently with some type of a prescription dilemma. His shifts at his new job present something all together odd. A hand print on a mirror. The print can't be erased at all. It's on the other side of the mirror. He also discovers a flooded underground basement. Back at home he starts seeing things in the mirror. And starts investigating things about the place and the security guard who he replaced. He suspects that it is not just in his head as others tell him but that something is not right with this building and it's bizarre mirrors.
It turns out next to the complex was a hospital where strange treatments took place in the psychiatric unit. As a result of what happened there to a young girl, the mirrors in the complex are trying to convey a message. Kiefer continues with the investigation tracking down the girl. In the meantime the mirrors start attacking his family.
The actual woman when he finds her is the biggest let down of all. It's got white Noise, Silent Hill, The Shining written all over it. It doesn't stop there in the fact that a remake rarely has a chance or glimmer at actually succeeding.
Performances are as follows from the respective cast.
Paula Patton who plays Amy Carson, who I've previously remember seeing in Deja Vu succeeds in her performance in the sense that a black outfit focuses my attention to her cleavage and body, while her wet clothes also distract me from the fact there is horror going on here too. Her sexiness and beauty seems to be used to serve the Director's needs but he only distracts us from being scared. Performance wise she can act when I'm not distracted by other attributes.
Kiefer Sutherland as Ben Carson recounts his 24 days horror style, and transitions from Sentinel thrills to Mirrors supernatural horror. He's right at home in the role of a weathered ex-cop caught up in strange events.
Amy Smart as Angela Carson doesn't really have a big part but what happens is memorable and jaw dropping indeed.
Overall in Mirrors there are a couple of twists near in the climax. The story takes on quite a different character from the mirror-attacking-people story. But is this a good prospect?
The end isn't really anything new, reminding me of a sort of echo, of every horror video game out there a la Resident Evil, Silent Hill.
Alexander Aja knows how to direct horror and actors but that in itself doesn't equal anything new or indeed good. Mirrors is nicely executed in the way it's shot and has great camera work and angles in places. There are frequent scares and gore throughout to keep audiences satisfied. The story itself is relatively placid but more flat-lining than electrifying.
Mirrors is also too long at nearly two hours and could have used some heavy editing for a more compact resolute solution. The mirrors are as much as a character as Kiefer, who himself ends up equaling a very non-reflective hero in this.
Overall a watchable horror film that could use either more horror or deletion of scenes to make it a bit more of a thrill ride.
A scene with the old nun lady ruins the film in being ultra-unrealistic and an ending that feels recycled rather than new and mystifying, but overall Mirrors succeeds in what it sets out to do. With the added re-watching power for males in the capacity of seeing Paula Patton show us the female anatomy in a wet fashion.
6/10
