SummaryEx-cop Ben Carson takes a job as a night watchman at the burned-out ruins of the Mayflower department store. As he patrols the eerie, charred remains of the store, he begins to notice something sinister about the ornate mirrors that adorn the Mayflower walls. Reflected in the gigantic shimmering glass are horrific images that stun Carson...
SummaryEx-cop Ben Carson takes a job as a night watchman at the burned-out ruins of the Mayflower department store. As he patrols the eerie, charred remains of the store, he begins to notice something sinister about the ornate mirrors that adorn the Mayflower walls. Reflected in the gigantic shimmering glass are horrific images that stun Carson...
This movie very good at what it set out to do: to give the creeps every time you pass by a mirror! There is something inherently scary about mirrors anyway - the pristine reflection of our own visage can unsettle anyone who goes to the bathroom in the middle of the night and forgets how they look. Then add the ability of your reflection to act beyond your control, and to kill you, and that is a strong plot point.
It is given further grounding by steadily revealing something that people used to believe, that reflective objects or surfaces, such as blood or water, were considered a conduit to the spiritual world in ancient times. The acting is great and there is more to the atmosphere than just "bad" lighting. The sets are terrific, and wonderfully done. Overall I think this should have received much better reviews, but often critics are not very adept at reviewing the horror genre.
With some gruesome deaths,great acting performances and interesting and original story,mirrors had everything to keep the viewer entertained but,unfortunately,the movie falls in the classical clichés.
This remake of a South Korean movie ultimately provides fewer scares than the average aging baby boomer feels every time they look into a reflective surface.
An effective sound design enhances several of the film's sudden frights, and Sutherland, who appears in almost every scene, is a predictably solid presence.
This film starts very well and takes advantage of good horror premises that, however, are nothing really new: other films have already used mirrors, and their supernatural and psychological connections. In this case, the film brings a good ghost story involving the mirrors of an old luxury department store. However, director and screenwriter Alexandre Aja was not able to give us a satisfactory conclusion to a film that starts so well.
The script, really, starts off in the best way, introducing us to the main character, a former New York policeman who killed a person in a shootout, getting psychologically shaken and abandoning the police. With alcoholism, the end of his career and marriage, the unwanted post as a night guard in an abandoned building is unavoidable. And that's how we got to know the Mayflower, a multi-story luxury department store that was badly damaged in a fire. It won't be long before he discovers that the building has a past and that there's something dark that seeks to do evil through the store's mirrors.
The biggest problem I found with this movie is the insipid way it ends. In fact, by going through the archaic clichés involving psychiatric hospitals, the film completely disappoints us and introducing a nun into the story was even stranger. I don't even want to talk about the open ending, bad enough to make us want to slap the film's director. There are, however, good horror scenes, quite macabre deaths to make us widen our eyes and a good job of suspense and atmosphere that give the film a pleasant tension.
The cast is led by Kiefer Sutherland, an actor capable enough for the task, but who, however, does not go beyond the average. Even so, he is the best actor present and the one that stands out the most. Jason Flemyng and Julian Glover barely appear, Paula Patton and Amy Smart are boring and seem to be there only because it takes a good-looking actress or two for the movie to work.
Technically, the film displays very good and well-executed cinematography, which takes full advantage of the decaying building (located in Bucharest, capital of Romania) and the darkness that reigns inside. The film also has good scenarios and an effective soundtrack, although not memorable.
The night watchman for an abandoned department store begins to question his sanity when he begins experiencing horrific images from within the store mirrors. As the visions transform into a terrifying reality, Ben must unravel the mystery behind the store's sordid past or face the wrath of the restless spirits within. Alexandre Aja's third foray into feature-length Horror is a considerable let down after the smash hits HIGH TENSION and THE HILLS HAVE EYES remake. MIRRORS never presents a consistent canon when it comes to the extent of the spirits' powers. First, it seems that they have the power to posses a person after looking in the mirror, then it seems they can steal the person's identity, entirely. The spirits are able to jump from the haunted location in to any other building with no established rule set, either, and their complete ability to interact with our world is dubious at best. It all seems so convenient and contrived that it becomes impossible to suspend disbelief. Kiefer Sutherland is outrageously over-the-top and can't be taken seriously in the role. Where the mirror motif offered Aja the potential to provide supreme tension and eerie atmosphere, he squanders every opportunity to unnerve the audience by using cheap shocks and excessive gore instead of a creating a slow suspense and creepy mood. The passive observer may take some pleasure in a few unexpected jumps, but it is difficult to ignore the logical inconsistencies and poor plotting.
The CGI effects were mostly convincing and not too distracting but it did make it less believable. Generally it looked good with lots of crane shots. Good solid sound with great use of surround and bass. The best bits were in the hospital. The rest was filler. The ending was actually pretty good but I didn't like most of the rest of the movie. It failed to build suspense. Pretty standard horror with occasionally brilliant moments.
A typical Hollywood horror movie with a lot of blood/gore/boredom.
The plot is pretty much forced like every other standard horror movie but it does bring its own uniqueness with the mirrors element of the movie.
Unfortunately, a lot of it is very weak and see-through forcing many characters to do things that are questionable.
Kiefer Sutherland's acting is pretty solid and he does carry the movie. Sadly he alone is not enough as the plot is very forced with sudden and pointless jump scares which are quite predictable and meh.
The ending tries to be interesting and it does have a ring to it but sadly it's pretty much poor executed.
A fun-flick to see with friends, popcorn and a couple of drinks.
As a single experience, those who are looking for a horror-chill experience might not find what they seek within this movie.
+ Mediocre acting
+ The movie looks nice overall
+ A simple but cool idea regarding the mirrors
- Stupid jump scares
- Forced plot
- Common predictable horror props throughout the runtime