Mirror Mirror

Have you seen the movie Mirror Mirror, starring Julia Roberts yet? Perhaps you should ask yourself how much you enjoy the story of Snow White before rushing off to watch it. If you don't enjoy the more classic telling of the tale then I'm sure you will derive some enjoyment from this film. If not, well read on and decide for yourself...

The movie is actually a fantasy/comedy retelling of the classic tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In this rendition the wicked queen (Julia Roberts) is a slightly neurotic and zany character who marries the king of the land, who later mysteriously vanishes, leaving an orphaned girl under the care of her wicked step-mother.

What happens after is a trifle bizarre. A handsome prince from a distant land enters the scenario, who promptly loses his clothes to bandits (the Seven Dwarfs) and sides with the evil queen to rid the land of these dangerous highwaymen. One problem: the young woman who he has just fallen in love with (I won't say; if you can't guess this there's no point) is the leader of the highwaymen!

There really isn't a terribly large plot here. There are laughs to be had and awkward situations aplenty. The script is relatively clean and some may find the change of roles for all of the characters refreshing. I personally felt like the love story between the prince and Snow White (oops, I gave it away...) was a little forced and mechanical, but the beast of the forest that menaces the local village in the kingdom was a nice little touch. There is also an excellent cameo appearance by Sean Bean of Lord of the Rings fame.

You may ask, what about the poison apple? Well, it cameos as well, but there is a profound twist there, too. You'll have to watch and find out. All in all the film isn't awful, but the lighthearted nature and slightly shallow plot leave it little more than some laughs in a likely forgettable spin off. I give it two and a half out of five dragons.