MIRRORS

(2008)

directed by Alexandre Aja

reviewed by Jonathan Rocks

02.23.2009

In 1999, director Gore Verbinski remade a little known Japanese film entitled “The Ring.” The film was a tremendous success with critics and audiences alike. What followed was a firestorm of Japanese horror (known as “J-horror”) remakes, all of which attempted to capitalize on the creepy aesthetic “The Ring” had introduced. To a varying degree, some of these films were successful. Though, more often than not, the visual style of the remakes was the only element that transferred, leaving out a rather important ingredient—a good story. Alexandre Aja’s “Mirrors”—a well intentioned, yet narratively lacking film, seems to be riding out the tail end of the more lack-luster trend of J-horror remakes.

Kiefer Sutherland stars as Ben Carson, a disgraced police officer trying to piece together his broken life. In an effort to clean himself up, he takes a job guarding a boarded up, distractingly out-of-place department store in the heart of New York City. From the beginning of his first shift, Carson notices something strange about the spotless mirrors that populate the entire store. He’s quickly (arguably too quickly) thrust headfirst into a devilish game, wherein the mirrors reflect horrific images that unfortunately effect the real world that Carson lives in. The mirrors presented a unique, yet oddly difficult horror antagonist. On one hand, if Carson and his family can simply steer clear of mirrors, they seem to be relatively safe. So, just cover every mirror, right? Not exactly-- the ghastly visions inexplicably begin to appear within any surface that displays a reflection. But hey, I’m all for suspension of disbelief, as long as the story is engaging enough to warrant it. This one, unfortunately, didn’t quite maintain a high enough level of interest.

One area in which the film does succeed is its special effects. “Mirrors” contains some genuinely creepy visuals, and one set-piece in particular that took the gore factor to a level this reviewer has rarely seen. Needless to say, that scene was the highlight of the film, and this review would certainly be different if they had found a way to bring that level of horror to the film just a few more times.

As it stands, the film caves in on itself in the third act, becoming just a standard “man saves his family from certain doom” type of flick. The film had a solid concept, but simply not enough meat to satisfy even a casual horror fan. Though, fans of Sutherland’s Jack Bauer character from “24” will certainly get their fill of brooding, and gruff screaming in this one. The film is worth a look, if just for the aforementioned bathroom scene. However, you could save yourself some time, and easily find that clip on the net. If it’s thrills you’re looking for, you’ll find one or two here—though you would be better served to visit Alexandre Aja’s earlier films such as “High Tension” and “The Hills Have Eyes.”

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