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MirrorMask
Sony Pictures Entertainment


8.1

based on 27 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 19 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: PG for some mild thematic elements and scary images

Starring Stephanie Leonidas, Gina McKee, Rob Brydon, Jason Barry, Dora Bryan, Robert Llewellyn, Andy Hamilton, Fiona Reynard, and Nik Robson

MirrorMask is the story of Helena, a fifteen-year-old girl working for her family circus, who wishes -- quite ironically -- that she could run away from the circus and join real life. (The Jim Henson Company)

GENRE(S):	Drama \| Fantasy \| Sci-fi
WRITTEN BY:	Neil Gaiman (teleplay and story) Dave McKean (story)
DIRECTED BY:	Dave McKean
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: February 7, 2006 Theatrical: September 30, 2005
RUNNING TIME:	101 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	UK / USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

This dazzling reverie of a kids-and-adults movie, an unusual collaboration between lord-of-the-cult multimedia artist Dave McKean and king-of-the-comics Neil Gaiman (The Sandman), has something to astonish everyone.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

Mirrormask is a gorgeous psychedelic cameo of a movie.

The Hollywood Reporter James Greenberg

If "The Wizard of Oz" were reborn in the 21st century, it might look a lot like MirrorMask. A product of the Jim Henson laboratory, the film is endlessly inventive with creativity to burn.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

At best, Helena's wiggy adventures recall such Jean Cocteau films as "Orpheus" and "Blood of a Poet." At worst, they resemble the Vegas act of Cirque du Soleil.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Though the story meanders, the film's look is nothing short of breathtaking.

San Francisco Chronicle Walter Addiego

Richly inventive.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Not everyone's cup of tea, but a strong, heady brew.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha Robinson

Episodic, detached, and lacking in drive, but packed with amazing, hallucinatory dream-imagery that makes real dreams look flat by comparison.

Dallas Observer Luke Y. Thompson

The movie combines drawings, photos, hazy filters, superimpositions and computer effects into a pastiche both beautiful and disturbing.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

If you're not already smitten with all things Gaiman, you may well find yourself, like Helena, a stranger in a strange land.

New York Post Kyle Smith

Too strange and disjointed to attract much of an audience, but its astonishing visuals showcase a major new talent: first-time feature director and book illustrator Dave McKean.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

The surreal visuals are relentless, overpowering the narrative much as they do in the frames of comic books (sorry, graphic novels).

Empire Helen O'Hara

A truly unique fantasy, McKean’s screen debut is tangled but promising.

Film Threat Heidi Martinuzzi

What it makes up for with sheer visual magic it lacks in coherent plotline.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Paula Nechak

What remains is a sumptuous-looking film that sniffs at but ignores deeper Freudian implications.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

The narrative is simplistic and lacking in energy, and the characters are sketched instead of fully formed.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Watching MirrorMask, I suspected the filmmakers began with a lot of ideas about how the movie should look, but without a clue about pacing, plotting or destination.

Chicago Tribune Allison Benedikt

It's hollow.

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

Crafted by hand and computer, Mirrormask is as breathtakingly beautiful to behold as it is tedious to slog through.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

Like many dreams, you won't remember it when you wake up. The style obliterates any emotional attachment.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

Like the recent Japanese import "Steamboy," this is worth seeing for the artwork alone, but it's so furiously overimagined it may leave you feeling dulled.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust

The teenager's journey through a nightmarish reverie presents hallucinogenic imagery that simultaneously dulls the senses and hot-wires the imagination, but it never fully engages emotionally.

The New York Times Stephen Holden

Astonishing and frustrating, the fusion of live action and computer animation created by the Jim Henson Company in MirrorMask is an example of too much lavished on too little.

Variety Scott Foundas

Emerges as an overproduced novelty pic that looks and feels more like a company promo reel than an engaging piece of storytelling.

Village Voice Michael Atkinson

The film galumphs along in static panels, prioritizing flash over thought, hyperextending a story that would barely sustain a children's picture book.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

Aggressive visual invention is rarely its own reward, and this movie does nothing to better the odds.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

So single-minded in its reach for fantasy, it becomes the genre's evil opposite: banality.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 19 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Layne M. gave it a10:
One of the best fantasy movies of all time. In the tradition of fantasy stories like Alice in Wonderland, The Neverending Story, Labyrinth and The Wizard of Oz, we are taken to a world of wonder that hinges upon a young person's imagination, in this case the character of Helena. This is not a movie for low-attention-span action/adventure/romance fans; this is a movie for dreamers. Mirrormask has more in common with Fringe Theatre than with typical motion picture storytelling, and most critics seem incapable of grasping this concept. Anyone who harbors a wonder-eyed child within them, who truly appreciates the genre of fantasy, will love this movie. One of those rare films that can be watched again and again, because the themes are so fundamental and the execution so stunning, Mirrormask is destined for a long life of home video sales as a cult classic.

Mobius gave it a9:
If you liked films like, The Dark Crystal, charlie and the chocolate factory,rocky horror picture show,Final fantasy,monty python,dark city,brazil,the grinch and edward scissor hands, then chances are you will like this film. you need to be an intelegent person with imagination to see what this story is about, or for you simple people out there its a bizzare Alice in Wonderland.

Andrew F. gave it an8:
Extremely creative movie, able to be enjoyed as a simple story or as an allegory with whatever meaning you prefer. Truly a great movie, of which I know many people who should see it. Good themes running through it, as well.

Tyler D gave it a10:
Amazing. From the story to the beautiful art direction, Mirrormask shines. Very, very brightly.

Theo H. gave it a2:
Visually pretty much what one would expect from McKean. He doesn't quite manage the move from 2D into 3D design; the cinematography is necessarily boring and stage-like as a result. Unfortunately he has no idea how to direct and the pacing is excruciatingly bad.

Malcom M. gave it a0:
A vastly over rated neverland. Boring stuff, Arty farty wierdo.

Melissa gave it a9:
Visually stunning. Great story, too. If you can't think, or don't get very strong imagery, you won't like this movie. Definitely for those who understand literature, art, and themselves.

MirrorMask Sony Pictures Entertainment

MirrorMask
Sony Pictures Entertainment