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List Price: $19.98 | | Label: 20th Century Fox
Salesrank: 8907
Released: January 13, 2009 |
| Our Price: $3.15 |
| Used Price: $1.69 |
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MPAA Rating: Unrated
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
AN EX-COP AND HIS FAMILY ARE THE TARGET OF AN EVIL FORCE THAT IS USING MIRRORS AS A GATEWAY INTO THEIR HOME.
Description of Mirrors:
Kiefer Sutherland anchors this supernatural thriller from Hills Have Eyes (2006) director Alexandra Aja about an abandoned building that harbors vengeful spirits. Sutherland brings a degree of his 24 intensity to his role as a disgraced police detective working a security detail at a derelict building. A package from a former security guard--who commits suicide in the film’s eerie opening moments--alerts Sutherland to the building’s tragic past, as well as to the presence of dark forces with the ability to harm the living; once aware of their presence, Sutherland and his family become their next target. Mirrors works best in its first third, where Joseph Nemec’s production design delivers maximum chills. Where the film stumbles is its rush to provide a slam-bang conclusion filled with CGI and other effects, resulting in an unsatisfying, open-ended conclusion that does much to dispel the film’s impressively Gothic atmosphere. The unrated DVD presentation differs from the theatrical cut by mere seconds, and the alternate ending included among the battery of deleted scenes is a more satisfying conclusion than the one used in the film. --Paul Gaita
Mirrors Reviews:
So good until those final minutes. 
2009-12-01 - Mirrors (Alexandre Aja, 2008)
I was about forty minutes into the hundred-odd-minute Mirrors last night when my wife, who's down with bronchitis, took some cold medicine and went to bed. I considered turning the movie off and coming back to it today, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Why? Because I was seeing something I had never seen before--a good Alexandre Aja movie. No, seriously--a really good Alexandre Aja movie. (In my defense, when my wife takes cold medicine, twenty minutes later she has no idea whether I'm in bed with her or not. "Comatose" is a valid description.) I was expecting yet another stupid Hollywood remake (and with Alexandre Aja having helmed the epitome of the stupid Hollywood remake, the 2006 version of The Hills Have Eyes, I felt entirely justified in this). For the record, I have yet to see the film upon which this is based, the 2003 Korean project Into the Mirror, and maybe that changed my perception a bit. But oh, yes, I was completely immersed in this.
And then we got to the last five minutes. And that Nike I was waiting for clonked me in the back of the head, except by then I wasn't expecting it. Ever since I finished watching the silly thing, I've been trying to spin the ending a different way. Me, of all people, trying to figure out how to defend a film by a guy who, up until now, hadn't even figured out how to direct a good short! (I generally don't review shorts, only rate them; I caught his first project, Over the Rainbow, earlier this year. It got two stars mostly for its brevity.) I think this is a sign of the apocalypse.
In any case, the plot concerns an ex-cop named Ben Carson (Dark City's Kiefer Sutherland--who, let's face it, hasn't done a good film since the beginning of 24). Ben left the force after an incident that messed with his head enough that he fell into the bottom of a bottle, resulting in the breakup of his marriage (he's now sleeping on the couch of his sister Angela, played by Crank's Amy Smart) and a period of jobless wandering through a self-tortured life. He's started picking up the pieces, though, and newly sober, gets a job as a night watchman at a department store that burned down five years ago. (We're told that it's still being patrolled because the company is still tied up in a legal battle with the insurance company.) All well and good, except that ghostly goings-on begin his first night. He quickly finds out that every night watchman in the place, including the guy who originally burned the place to the ground, has had the same problems. You see, there's something wrong with the department store's mirrors. (This is not a spoiler; we find this out in the refreshingly gory opening scene.) Needless to say, whenever he tries to explain the mirror problem--to Angela, for example, or to his ex Amy (Precious' Paula Patton)--they look at him like he's nuts. How to convince them he's not before something unspeakable happens? And what do the things in the mirror want, anyway?
It's always been the case that the decent American remakes, or even the mediocre ones that still somehow manage to be worth watching (Verbinski's The Ring, for example, or Scorsese's The Departed), are based on top-notch flicks. Not to say there haven't been awful American remakes (did you see Bangkok Dangerous? No? Stay that way.), but the good ones? Yeah. So I'm guessing that Sung-ho Kim's original Geoul Sokeuro is a real barnburner, because the first hundred minutes of this movie are, at least for Alexandre Aja, absolute genius. The whole thing is about character and atmosphere. It is, in fact, the second (that I know of) Asian-horror-flick remake to actually get that bit right, and as a result, the film shines. Some of the criticism leveled at the movie has had to do with some bad acting by supporting players, and this is true, but none of the supporting players here gets a whole lot of screen time; this is Kiefer Sutherland's movie, and he carries it. (Some of the other criticisms say he's just reprising his Jack Bauer role. I've never seen 24, so I can't comment on that, but if so, I can see why the show's a hit.) The atmosphere is tense, and more importantly it's believable enough to let the viewer swallow enough disbelief to actually buy the rather ridiculous premise.
And then the final five minutes. Intellectually, I know I shouldn't hate them as much as I did. The ending probably even works in the original (though some of the things I've read lead me to believe the ending has been changed). And for the record, the final shot really is set up nicely all the way through the movie, and if you take it by itself, it's creepy and effective. But my god, the plot hole that gets blown through this movie in the final two scenes is unforgivable--especially because those scenes are right next to one another. It was as if Aja and his longtime writing partner Gregory Levasseur said "hey, we need one of those endings that sets up for a sequel (ed. note: which is in the process of being filmed as we speak, of course), who cares if it makes no sense in the context of the rest of the film?". And that's exactly what we got.
I wanted to love this movie. And had I turned it off five minutes before the end, I probably would have. ***
"All Smoke and Mirrors, basically". DVD. 
2009-11-17 - The trailer looked like the film might be interesting, but after viewing the entire film, it appears not to be the case. The movie is quite predictable, and doesn't really go anywhere, the visual effects are no big deal as well.
A decent horror flick 
2009-10-12 - I rented this movie after it was recommended to me through the Netflix recommendation system, and for the most part I was very satisfied.
Kiefer Sutherland plays an ex cop who becomes confronted by daemons that live in mirrors of a burnt-down New York department store. As they threaten him and his family, he uses all of his detective skills to destroy these sinister forces. The movie is well paced and well acted, with the music score and visuals that greatly enhance the whole experience. The twist ending also makes you rethink many aspects of the movie, which comes as an added bonus.
If you are looking for an entertaining horror flick and are not too squeamish about the cutting/dismembering scenes then give this movie a chance. It may not be the most outstanding horror film you'll ever see, but it's certainly worth watching.
Not as bad as i thought it would be
2009-10-06 - When i first baught this movie i thought it was going to suck to be honest.i got it cause it was the only horror movie out at the time i hadnt seen and wanted something new.this movie surprised me by how good it was.the acting was good,the effects/kills were good and gresome(especially his sister)and i also like the story and the idea behind it as ive always found mirrors creepy and refuse to have one in my room.all in all i say rent it if you are curious but i think its worth buying for fans of horror/ghost stories/haunted house movies.it has a few creepy moments but i wont spoil them.watch,enjoy and beware the mirrors.
Jaw rippin' good fun!
2009-10-03 - I remember being excited about this movie when I saw the previews. Nothing like seeing Kiefer Sutherland turn all goofy looking in a mirror. "just washing my face, ahh I'm retarded looking now!" The movie reminds me a little bit of the ring. A lot of newspaper rummaging which eventually leads to a trip out to the country. Nothing says horror like a country barn with a bunch of yokels. The scene that steals the movie though is the bathtub scene. If you haven't seen it let me just say it gets pretty gnarly. I didn't care too much for the ending though which is why I will only give it 3 stars. The ending was kinda lacking in my opinion. Lacking, that is a definitive conclusion. While I would not recommend buying it is a worthy rental.
