Mirrors - Some Comments

It's not every day when I watch horror - but I do try to make it most days :)

Joking aside, I'd wanted to see Mirrors for a while, but never managed to get around to seeing it at the cinema. I did catch it last night however and it appears to have some very good ideas with some bizzare execution (as well as an ending that I've seen in an Asian film some time ago (is this a direct remake?).

The basic idea is that Kiefer Sutherland is a cop waiting for re-instatement following some kind of incident (it hints at the idea that he shot his partner). He's got a tenuous hold on his family and it seems also his sanity, due to some strong anti-alcohol drugs he's taking. So, lots going on so far. It all jumps into the horror genre though when Sutherland's lead starts his new job as a security guard for a sprawling burned out old building. Suddenly, there are things in the mirror that he's seeing that really shouldn't be there. Ultimately, this brings a great evil and peril for the thing he cares for most - his family.

SPOILERLAND - LOOK NO FURTHER IF YOU'VE NOT SEEN THE FILM
For me, the most effective part of the film was when the character of Anna Esseker was introduced. The idea of her being possessed was actually quite a well thought out one, but it did bother me. Why would the demon wish to possess Anna again when it was clearly hugely powerful within the mirror?

Couldn't it go from mirror to mirror, or only to the mirrors in which a person had been exposed? Lots of questions left this section open ended, but the possession trope was a welcome addition to the film (I'm a huge fan of the possession horror sub genre).

Another thing that really bothered me was just how quickly his wife started to believe the whole thing. Complete change of attitude in a few minutes, and not because of compelling evidence either.

On the whole, Mirrors was a lot of fun, it just never quite lived up to the promise and actually seemed to be a bit of a strange mish-mash of various ideas. Perhaps it would have been more of a yarn had it focussed on one specific aspect of the story.

Stand out moment: The bath scene with Angela Carson.
Worst moment: The ending - not at all a surprise.