Mirrors - A Movie Review

Never trust the reflection that you see in the mirror. It could be evil.

Mirrors escaped into theaters in 2008. When an ex-cop gets a new security job, he encounters a mirror with evil powers. The mirror endangers the lives of his family. As strange occurrences happen based on their reflections, Ben has to put an end to the evil and now.

The more horror films that have mirrors as an integral piece, the more I fear mirrors. Mirrors embraced the horror. It executed the haunting world of what these mirrors were capable of. On the downside, it lacked a story, becoming too repetitive.

Keifer Sutherland did a great job embodying the mindset of his character. Living with his own faults, Ben tries to be a better person, which is his best trait. His reactions to the horror were a bit over-the-top at times.

That goes for most of the ensemble who overact. Like most films, Mirrors has an overused divorced scenario where the parents argue continuously until sharing sweet interactions. Starring as the members of Ben’s family is Paula Patton, Arika Gluck, and the late Cameron Boyce.

What I don’t understand about Mirrors is why Ben’s family couldn’t have been involved more. Patton spends most of her time arguing with Ben and refusing to believe in his stories even when the clues are right in front of her!

The late Boyce had a memorable presence, but his subplot involving the evil reflections in the mirror wasn’t given enough attention. Instead of all the repetitive wandering through dark hallways, writers could have developed the story.

One of my favorite characters was Angels, Ben’s sister, played by Amy Smart. The film brought out a positive sibling dynamic. I liked the dynamic created by Sutherland and Smart. It’s the only relationship that feels real in the film. Smart also had the opportunity to be one of the most signature parts of Mirrors.

You can expect most of the characters as they are cliches in all horror films. I argue on whether Mary Beth Peil’s role was needed or not. Her character could have been written completely differently. We also didn’t need to be told all the research which was unneeded exposition.

It was evident that writers weren’t sure of where to take the story next, often repeating sequences. For example, Ben walks around the old deserted factory on his night shift encountering the tricks of the mirror one too many times. We already got that this mirror is suspicious. We didn’t need to see three of the same sequences.

Mirrors are given the highlight. Aja took risks in the story. That was Alexandre Aja’s best element in the direction of the film. The climax was my favorite part of the film because Aja created a twist that no other film has used. It made me want to go to watch the sequel to see how the events unfold.

The mirrors made me feel scared. Is what you’re seeing in the mirror there? Most horror films have used mirrors as an integral plot detail, but Aja also took the liberty to add a new detail. Don’t trust your reflection in the water.

Not counting the noticeable CGI, the makeup is gory. One scene is so difficult to look at because it looks so painful. The makeup effects were noteworthy creating creepy figures roaming in dark corners of the house.

As I have learned, you have to watch every horror movie in existence during Halloween month. Although I had some issues with its development, I still enjoyed the film. Find Mirrors and watch it.