If Labyrinth and Alice in Wonderland had a baby....

prnssleiao

MirrorMask is like the crack baby of Labyrinth and Alice in Wonderland--but this baby is more stylized, modern, and incredibly beautiful.

I am a huge fan of both Dave McKean and Neil Gaiman's work. I consider myself lucky, because I was able to meet Neil at the Salt Lake Public Library a couple of years ago, and I was treated to a sneak preview of MirrorMask at the San Diego Comic Convention in 2004. And amazingly enough, I got to see the film at the Sundance Film Festival on January 29th-- and Neil and Dave were there again. So, I've felt attached to this project for a while.

This is a film that children and adults will adore. The humor is great, and the characters are immediately enjoyable and identifiable. Helena, the main character, possesses the kind of wide-eyed wonderment and tenacious attitude that all viewers will find believably endearing. The other characters range from strangely beautiful and frightening, as in the Black Queen, to comical and seemingly ordinary, as in the sardonic juggler, Valentine. The background characters are beautifully rendered and reflect McKean's style perfectly. The costume design is particularly outstanding—details are not overlooked. One could view the film a dozen times and still see new surprises.

Like Labyrinth, the film follows Helena through a journey of self-discovery, where she ultimately begins to understand the importance of her herself and her family—and of the ultimate power of hope. As a child, I was captivated by Labyrinth's Sarah character, and I think younger generations will latch onto Helena just as quickly. Helena is more believable though, than Sarah—and her role is a positive one. She is a strong, intelligent, and inquisitive girl, just on the verge of womanhood.

The entire film floored me—I feel so lucky to have seen it. If any of you have a chance to see it, do so immediately. Hopefully, the film will be released to theaters around the country— this would be an especially wise move, as I'm sure it will become a classic fantasy film for all ages.

score 10/10

prnssleiao 31 January 2005

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1011130/