Retellings have a caveat. It’s expected to rise above the original tale if it presents interesting elements that make the adaptation unique yet recognizable to all. Did Mirror Mirror pull this off? For me, it did!
The only expectation I have of this is that it might be funny based on the trailer, and I was giddy with joy at the wit of the script and Julia Robert’s sugar-coated mockery. The seven dwarves’ puns (named Napoleon, Grub, Half Pint, Grimm, Wolf, Butcher, and Chuckles) are on the dot in their comedic timing, and Armie Hammer’s recurring half-nakedness made the audience in the cinema with me chuckle a lot. Lily Collins’ portrayal of Snow White was lovely as she is. Her beauty and her gentleness fit her character perfectly.
The production value of the movie is fantastic, starting off with the animated, ceramic-ish doll figures’ reconstruction of the fairy tale in the stepmother’s point of view, to Alan Menken doing the original score, up to the lavish, Victorian-inspired costumes of the women and colonial wigs for the men. The fashion is dated, and yet Academy Award-winning Japanese costume designer Eiko Ishioka made it edgy modern. Here’s a preview of their stunning looks (grabbed from the internet):
The fairy tale was tweaked toward the end. The final reveal (Sean Bean’s appearance) and the closing sequence just gave the satisfactory contrast of the film to the ending of the original narrative.
If you want a magical, fantastical experience, go see this wonderful retelling of Snow White! Bring the kids along, but you need a bit of explaining to do 🙂
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