To the London Film Festival yesterday afternoon, for a screening of Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean‘s Mirrormask. I’ve been looking forward to this for a while, and have been following the development of the piece from greenscreen onwards with interest.
I for one wasn’t disappointed. The film looks absolutely amazing, rich, lush and textured, McKean’s work brought vividly to life.
There’s been quite a bit of discussion on the interwub about how closely Mirrormask resembles Labyrinth, the classic 80’s Jim Henson fantasy. My feeling is, a bit too closely for it’s own good. It has the heroine on the cusp of womanhood, the evil character with a vested interest in her fate, the untrustworthy sidekick, the obviously fantastical backdrop, the surreal and dreamlike atmosphere … I could go on. It’s also very episodic, and seems to rely heavily on the gosh-wow factor of the effects to ease the viewer over any clunky transitions.
Apart from all that, though, I did enjoy it. Stephanie Leonides as the heroine Helena gives a sparky performance and manages to pull off spending most of the film in a pair of fluffy bunny slippers, which is no mean feat. Gina Mckee is alternatively warm and icy as the dual mother figure, and Rob Brydon is solid and funny. There’s certainly more inventiveness in script and visuals here than you’ll see in most films out this year (with the possible exception of “Serenity” and “Strings”) and if you’re a Gaiman/McKean fan you’re in for a real treat. How it’s esoteric charms will translate into success in the real world is hard to say. It doesn’t have the crossover charm of a “Wallace and Gromit”, for example. It’ll do well with a select audience, and probably that’s it. However, I enjoyed it enormously, and will definately be investing in the DVD. If you’re after a cinematic experience that’s a bit different, this certainly fits the bill.