Mirrors (2008)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Alexandre Aja

Writers (WGA):

Alexandre Aja (screenplay) &
Grégory Levasseur (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 August 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

There Is Evil........On The Other Side

Plot:

An ex-cop and his family are the target of an evil force that is using mirrors as a gateway into their home.

Plot Keywords:

Mirror | Fire | Evil | Estranged Wife | Hallucination

Cast

Kiefer Sutherland	...	Ben Carson
Paula Patton	...	Amy Carson
Cameron Boyce	...	Michael Carson
Erica Gluck	...	Daisy Carson
Amy Smart	...	Angela Carson
Mary Beth Peil	...	Anna Esseker
John Shrapnel	...	Lorenzo Sapelli
Jason Flemyng	...	Det. Larry Byrne
Tim Ahern	...	Dr. Morris
Julian Glover	...	Robert Esseker
Josh Cole	...	Gary Lewis
Ezra Buzzington	...	Terrence Berry
Aida Doina	...	Rosa (as Doina Aida Stan)
Ioana Abur	...	Front Desk Sister
Darren Kent	...	Jimmy Esseker

Also Known As:

Into the Mirror (USA) (working title)
Oglinzi malefice (Romania)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, disturbing images, language and brief nudity.

Runtime:

110 min | 112 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA | Romania

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:18 | Singapore:M18 | Malaysia:18PL | Netherlands:16 | Japan:R-15 | USA:R (certificate #43839) | South Africa:16LV | Portugal:M/16 | Ireland:18 | UK:15 (cut) | UK:18 (DVD rating) (uncut) | Argentina:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R16 | Italy:VM14 | Peru:18 | Finland:K-18 | Sweden:15 | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:III (uncut) | Norway:15 | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | France:-12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Mexico:B15

Filming Locations:

Academy of Sciences, Bucharest, Romania

Company:

Regency Enterprises

Trivia:

Although Alexandre Aja has denied that the film is a remake of the South Korean horror film Geoul sokeuro (2003), it quite clearly says it is in the closing credits.

Goofs:

Continuity: Ben dusts himself down after the fire scene, and rubs his shirt down to make sure he isn't burned. If he was rubbing a clean white shirt with a bleeding hand that wasn't bandaged yet, he should get blood all over his shirt, but he doesn't.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Gary Lewis: [after opening window and seeing that it doesn't lead anywhere] Oh fuck!

Movie Connections:

Features Cop Land (1997)

Soundtrack:

Asturias

Comedy from a viewpoint

It all makes sense if you look at it as a video game being played.

Kiefer Sutherland's performance is a mix between the character and the frustrated player. When he tries to solve a problem he slowly works up to anger which usually ends in him using his gun as it is the most prominent tool at his disposal. As the film progresses we see the player become sick with the plot and begins handling things from a sheer statistical point of view to finish the game. This is evident around the part in the convent as he rushes through every conversation and uses his anger and violence to achieve the objective he set out to do in the storyline.

Another tell is the special effects. Some are good while others seemed rushed. The makeup for the mirror monsters is good as are the mirror special effects. There are a couple of over the top death scenes that really don't fit in with the subtlety of most mirror monster films. Then there is the fire which looks like it is a sprite graphic from a PS2 era game.

All in all was an entertaining film that I would recommend to anyone who wants to laugh and still have a few good scares.