Mirrormask

Mirrormask is the product of Neil Gaiman cowriting with first-time director Dave Mckean (a name you probably recognize as the illustrator on a lot of Gaiman's work), with the film being made by Jim Henson studios. As such, you would expect this film to have fantastic visuals, and it sure does. If you've ever wondered what the Sandman series might look like on screen, this is it. I've given you some pictures to appreciate, but the visual aspect isn't the only good thing about the film. There's also the story, of course.



Naturally, it involves someone going on a quest. In this case, a young girl named Helena gets somehow magically transported (it is magic this time) to another world (perhaps you could call it the world behind the mirror) when her mother falls ill. The object the quest centers on is the mirrormask. Of course this gets her involved in the goings on of this other world, as it's quite significant for them too.

Some people might find the story too slow for them. If you really need something to be happening that completely fills your vision every second, then you probably can't take this film. This movie often has a very dreamlike quality. As a matter of fact, at the end it's left up to you to decide whether it was all real or just a dream. It's interesting nonetheless, because it does have a good story and because half the time you'll be going, "man, that's strange."

There's a really, really creepy scene where automatons come out like jack-in-the-boxes and sing a lullaby (in synthesized voices). That alone made the movie worth it for me. Anyway, check it out.