Mirrors a Korean Ghost Story with lots of Surprises

Set in New York Ben Carson is on the down slope of life due to a suspension from his police detective duties. The death of Carson's colleague, an undercover officer by his own hands fuels his anger and frustration at his current position in life. Now, as a security guard Carson must deal with an estranged wife who reprimands him for a previous drinking problem (Tribute).


Recently put out on the street Carson lives on the couch of his little sister and medication is not enough to brighten his dark days. Add to that screaming spirits from another dimension at Carson's new job and you have a recipe for a nervous breakdown. Yet, this street-wise former detective finds courage in his family and purpose in uncovering the unknown (Tribute).

Is it the medication driving Carson's dark visions or an angry ghast? Fires, screams, violent images, and a looming 30' mirror make a regular security job more like an ongoing nightmare. And an old curse threatens to undo Carson's last nerve, but this detective fights a devilish plan that he wants no part of while struggling to keep his marriage together (Tribute).

Director: Alexandre Aja.

Release Date: 15 August, 2008.

Rating: R for strong violence, disturbing images, language and brief nudity.

Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Cameron Boyce, Erica Gluck, and Amy Smart.

"Mirrors," starts off with a grim scene of brutality and gore that may shock some viewers, and the dark subject matter is devoid of comedy or light heartedness. This is an hour and a half of pure horror as director Alexandre Aja unleashes a true demon in this action thriller. Several gorey scenes made this reviewer squirm as a supernatural ghost made one female character literally drop her jaw.

The use of dark lighting, exotic sets, and an evil-looking female protagonist makes "Mirrors," a unique movie watching experience with the final man versus supernatural scene a bonus. This is a film that does not hold back on the terror. Seeing several innocent characters undergo gruesome deaths with lots of dark lighting and shadows makes "Mirrors," a slightly unforgettable piece. A final battle between Carson and some type of demonspawn bookends the film nicely. However,one book end would be "gore," and the other "shock."

Some reviewers are commenting on "Mirrors," and describing the film's plot as "...goofy...," and complaining about the Korean based story of the film, but what horror film's plot can really be taken seriously? Most horror films take their stories from tales of long ago, like ghost story lore and their purpose is to entertain viewers not to provide serious lessons on how to deal with life. Is Hollywood running out of ideas for horror films? With the 11th installment of the "Friday the 13th," series coming out in February, 2009 and the continuing creation of sequel upon sequel i.e. "Cloverfield 2," and a new "I Am Legend," movie, studios need to cannibalize original ideas from Asian markets to entertain current audiences (Boxoffice).

See "Mirrors," the movie and remind yourself of the fun that can be had from listening to an original, terrifying, and thought provoking ghost story. A story that is a grown up version of childhood stories of the past. Already on DVD/Blu-Ray formats "Mirrors," is a must see in 2008.


Sources:

Mirrors Review at Boxofficeprophets.com

Mirrors at Tribute.ca


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