Mirror Mirrow Fails To Reflect Any Character

The first thing I heard as the Mirror Mirror credits rolled was, “Wow, what a safe, unambitious movie.” I can't find a better way to put it.

The movie begins as the Wicked Queen, played by Julia Roberts, narrates the story of Snow White, poking fun at her name and fairy tale narrative. The sarcastic, yet playful narration sets the tone for what's to come.

Apparently, 10 years ago, Snow White's father, the king, rode off to battle an evil that had invaded the land and was never seen again. Snow White (Lily Collins) is now 18, and her stepmother the Queen rules the land and keeps Snow White confined to her room. When Snow White ventures outside the palace, she sees the devastation brought onto the villagers due to the Queen's taxes, which she mainly uses to fund her extravagant parties. When she catches the eye of Prince Andrew Alcott (Armie Hammer), and stands up to her stepmother, she finds herself thrown out of the palace and joins a band of thieving dwarves, who school her in swordmanship and thievery.

The most this movie has going for it are its beautiful costumes and gorgeous visuals, which includes an interesting reinterpretation of the Magic Mirror. But all it does is make you wish that more effort had been devoted to the people in the story. Lily Collins brings her signature eyebrows and her stunning looks to the role, but not much else. Her Snow White remains bland, and empty, and completely fails to fuse feminism and fairy tales. The film tries to show Snow White gaining confidence and becoming a hero akin to Robin Hood, but she constantly has to look to to someone else for reassurance EVERY SINGLE TIME she takes action.

One of the best examples of this is when Snow White and the Prince duel, which is particularly underwhelming. Yes, they have to keep it tame for the PG rating, but that doesn't mean they couldn't have a little more fun with it. Snow White isn't even shown to be a formidable opponent, as the prince is able to mockingly predict and counter her every move.

It follows a familiar dissonance between what the movie advocates and what actually happens. Snow White constantly says she can handle things herself, as do a few other characters. Yet she is constantly having to be rescued from danger and assisted by others. Sorry honey, but if you really want to be as independent as you say, you'd better start actually doing things on your own rather than trying to have your cake and eat it too.

The only person who really seems to be having fun is Julia Roberts, who brings a sense of deliciously catty wickedness to her Queen. Roberts looks like an actress on the stage surrounded by amateurs, which only serves to highlight the movie's flaws. But it's so bland and uninteresting that you can't call it offensive either. With just a few tweaks, it could have been something akin to Beauty and the Beast, a fun fusion of fable and female empowerment. But like most movies, it's merely passable. Here's hoping that Snow White and the Huntsman, another take on the same story that opens in June, can do better.

Grade C-