Page 28 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • April 11, 2012 ‘Mirror Mirror’ is hip retelling of classic fairy tale by Dennis Seuling “Mirror Mirror” is a live-action version of the Grimm Brothers’ Snow White tale, with equal nods to vaudeville, slapstick, and 1950s swashbucklers. In this version, which strives for coolness in every frame, the Evil Queen (Julia Roberts) has cast a spell on her husband, giving her sole charge of stepdaughter Snow White (Lily Collins). Snow is under “house arrest.” Though her needs are taken care of by a myriad of servants, she is forbidden to go out into the kingdom, where starving peasants are overtaxed by a queen indifferent to the welfare of her long-suffering subjects. When Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer) ventures into the kingdom, the queen sets her sights on him as a possible husband, but the Prince is enchanted by Snow White, who has slipped into a disguise so she can join a gala costume ball undetected by the queen. After some initial verbal sparring, Snow White and the Prince join forces with a group of rag-tag dwarves, who terrorize travelers by donning stilts and passing themselves off as giants, to restore Snow White to her rightful place as sovereign of the kingdom. The familiar story elements are present, including the poisoned apple, the magic mirror, the handsome prince, the evil stepmother, and the septet of little people. However, Director Tarsem Singh (“Immortals,” “The Cell”) has made this retelling a visual smorgasbord of color, elaborate costumes, buffoonery, and action. Rather than a bland, helpless do-nothing, this Snow White is a spirited girl who takes up the sword and perfects her fighting skills in order to do her part in reclaiming what is rightfully hers. Collins is lovely and charming in the role, but lacks the fire this interpretation demands. Her exploits with sword in hand and her acrobatics appear very carefully staged. It looks as if she is more concerned with mussing her hair or wrinkling her flowing skirt than with vanquishing her opponents. Roberts has great fun with her role, whether she is engaged in repartee with her chief servant, Brighton (Nathan Lane), pontificating to her court, or having a one-on-one with that magic mirror. Eiko Ishioka, who previously provided the costumes for “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” and passed away in January, created an eye-popping assortment of gowns for both Roberts and Collins that are reminiscent of daily wear in the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Roberts, in particular, looks terrific in the wildly exaggerated gowns with collars that provide a veritable halo around her head. The Evil Queen represents new turf for Roberts, who is most at home in contemporary romantic comedy. She has fun with the role and is happily restrained, since the part lends itself to broad portrayal. By underplaying, she infuses believability into a character that might otherwise have come off as a larger-than-life cartoon. The screenplay never explores the character’s insecurities or paranoia. They are merely givens, as they are in the original tale. Without the burden of offering faceted insights into the queen’s penchant for evil, Roberts sails on majestically. Lane provides many of the film’s comic asides as the queen’s trembling toady, and is ideally suited for the role. Lane has a huge personality that sucks the wind out of everything around him if he is not kept in check. Director Singh cuts away to Lane’s Brighton frequently to get a laugh, but never allows the actor to wear out his welcome. Hammer, who played the Winklevoss brothers in “The Social Network,” has a flair for comedy and selfdeprecation. This is not your standard-issue, squarejawed Prince who enters the story late in the game to marry the Princess. He is an integral part of the story and gets considerable screen time. In this sense, screenwriters Melissa Wallack and Jason Keller have improved on Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm by fleshing out an underdeveloped character. Hammer is energetic in his action scenes, handles the comedy adroitly, and is appropriately romantic as required. The dwarves are a lot earthier than their Disney animated counterparts and bear different names: Napoleon, Half Pint, Grub, Grimm, Wolf, Butcher, and Chuckles. Their scenes together are funny, but because they are seven in number, viewers get only short glimpses of what distinguishes them as individuals. Some additional time with each would have been welcome. Their scenes received enthusiastic reactions from an opening-day audience. Rated PG, “Mirror Mirror” will please both young viewers and their parents. Kids and adults will appreciate the movie’s fast pace, visual spectacle, and clever The Evil Queen (Julia Roberts) rules over her kingdom with an iron fist in ‘Mirror Mirror.’ dialogue. Watching Roberts immerse herself in an unusual role is the icing on the cake.