6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 3.6 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
Attempting to pick up the shattered pieces of his life, a disgraced former cop takes a routine security job guarding the charred ruins of the once famous Mayflower department store in New York. But the terrifying, ominous images he sees in the building’s ornate mirrors will send him on a pulse-pounding mission to unravel the secrets of the store’s past... before they destroy his entire family!
Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Amy Smart, Mary Beth Peil, Cameron BoyceHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 89% |
Supernatural | 35% |
Mystery | 21% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, French, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional)
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy (on disc)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
When a supernatural thriller like Mirrors offers chills so willfully “by the numbers” as it does, I guess it’s only fair to have a numbered list pointing out just a few of the clichés that are in store for the viewer:
1. Tormented hero, an ex-cop (is there any other kind?), working through a personal crisis, and under the influence of pills that may or may not be contributing to what may or may not be hallucinations.
2. Spooky, deserted gothic building, once an insane (or, considering this film, perhaps "inane") asylum (later remodeled to be an upscale department store, in one of several unintentional laughs Mirrors provides).
3. Green-lit victim running frightened through New York’s subway tunnels, unable to find an escape and of course managing to get himself locked in a tiny room with the otherworldly enemy.
4. Tormented hero attempting to patch up his shaky marriage with wife whose career as a medical pathologist perfectly places her to help in his investigation of the spooky goings on.
5. Tormented hero’s family soon becomes prospective prime victims for malevolent evil from an unknown realm.
6. Shocking (shocking!, do you hear me?) twist at the end (which anyone with half a brain will see coming about 30 seconds into the film).
Need I go on? You know going in to Mirrors pretty much exactly what you’re going to get—a supernatural chiller, a la The Ring, with some kind of mystery at its core that will at least attempt to explain the inexplicable, namely that old mirrors in this abandoned building seem to be giving ex-cop, and now security guard, Ben Carson (Keifer Sutherland) the ability to see into another world where various people are being tormented and outright tortured. Is Carson crazy? Or does the Mayflower, the asylum cum store, have demonic powers at its beck and call? Go ahead: guess. If you care.
Anyone who’s fond of the classic Twilight Zone episode “The After Hours,” starring Anne Francis as a literal "living doll," knows that a closed department store can indeed be a spooky place (even in late 1950's, low production values black and white, for crying out loud). Mirrors ups the ante considerably by having the Mayflower be the ashen ruins of a gothic structure that was hit by a massive fire years earlier. Carson, down on his luck after having mistakenly shot an undercover cop, finds himself the night watchman at the place, a job which, a la Jack Torrance’s caretaker gig in The Shining, seems harmless enough, but then (gasp) bad things start happening. In fact, the whole trope of an evil place possessing its inhabitants is yet another cliché which can be added to the only partial list above.
"Scully? Mulder? I found your flashlight...and your /*#@ possessed mirror!"
Mirrors arrives with a 2.40:1 aspect ratio via an AVC codec, and sports an extremely grainy image that should delight all detractors of DNR. Aja can't be faulted for the film's nicely gritty look, which emphasizes the dark and dastardly goings-on at the Mayflower. While black levels are slightly inconsistent, for the most part contrast is extremely strong, giving a nice amount of black pop to the many shadowy scenes throughout the film. A lot of Mirrors plays out in the sort of cold, blue palette that some will associate with forensic television fare like CSI, and this Blu-ray reproduces that admirably. The entire color scheme here is really rather subdued, so those looking for an eye-popping experience are probably going to be disappointed.
On the other hand, the DTS HD-MA 5.1 mix is one of the most impressively immersive I've experienced recently. While it relies too heavily on gimmicks like sudden loud noises to provide scares that aren't otherwise in the film, the mix is excellently dimensional and one of the more directional in recent memory. Everything from the sudden flap of a bird's wings (amped up to of course provide a startle or two) to the slow creaking of a spooky door is rendered with clarity and some extremely impressive dynamic range. LFE, especially in the denouement, is quite impressive as well, giving a rattling-good time to the subwoofer. Also available are DD 5.1 mixes in Spanish and French.
Quite a few bonuses augment the main feature, which is presented in both its original theatrical version and (heaven help us) its extended director's cut (emphasis on cut). Unfortunately only one brief one minute extra, an animated storyboard, is in high definition. The SD supplements include "Anna Esseker-Hospital Footage," (6 mins.) an extended flashback sequence providing more detail into the key to the mystery's childhood; "Reflections: The Making of Mirrors," an above average 50 minute featurette that at least admits the filmmakers were thinking of this as a sort of quasi-sequel to The Shining, as absurd as that may sound; "Behind the Mirror," (18 mins.), a rather interesting, if sometimes silly, aggregation of folklore about the resident evil (evil, do you hear me?) in mirrors; and 16 minutes of deleted/alternate scenes. Do not make the mistake I did when first toggling through the menu options—Bonus View is not available on the extended cut, despite that menu option being listed there (how stupid is that?). I actually thought I needed a firmware update for a while until I realized that Bonus View was available only on the theatrical cut. Two Bonus View options are available, one showing a storyboard to screen comparison and another offering a PIP commentary with Aja and screenwriter Gregory Levasseur. A digital copy of the film is also provided.
You probably won't want to reflect too much on Mirrors (sorry, couldn't resist). Predictable, formulaic and overly gory a lot of the time, it leaves nothing to the imagination while traversing a too oft-traveled filmic path.
2014
Unrated | includes Into the Mirror (2003 on DVD
2010
2015
2008
The Untold Chapter
2020
25th Anniversary
1999
2015
Unrated
2008
Unrated
2007
2010
Unrated
2004
Uncut Edition
2009
2010
2023
2009
2012
2007
2009
Unrated
2009
2017