 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Mirrors
- Review Date: August 17, 2008
- R
- Genre: Horror
- 2008
Common Sense Media says
Brutal horror movie offers little to reflect on.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this brutal horror movie is graphically, grotesquely, and grimly violent, featuring extensive sequences of special-effects gore. Disturbing, gory images are lingered over, and the film's magical-mirror plotline -- in which mystical reflection images are recreated in the real world -- means that, in many cases, viewers literally get to see the same horrifically violent acts twice. There's also a demonic-possession element to the plot, as well as a bit of sexuality, some strong language, and references to a drinking problem.
What's the story?
Haunted by doubt and guilt after accidentally killing an undercover officer, suspended NYPD detective Ben Carson's (Kiefer Sutherland) marriage is shattered, and he's forced to take a nighttime security guard position at the burnt-out wreckage of a department store in hopes that he might be able to move on from crashing with his sister, Angela (Amy Smart). As Ben tours the ruins each night, he starts seeing grim, grisly visions in the store's mirrors -- visions that somehow leap from the glass into the real world. As the malevolent force behind the mirrors poses an increasing threat to Ben's friends and family, he has to unravel the mystery of the force hidden behind the mirrors ... and ask himself whether satisfying the force's demands will really end the threat to his family.
Is it any good?
Helmed by French horror director Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, High Tension), MIRRORS is long on gore and short on plot, as Ben flails, freaks out, and fumbles around trying to decipher the visions and messages he's receiving from the mystical dimension behind the mirrors. (The department store, it seems, used to be a hospital, and the past treatment of a schizophrenic girl lies at the heart of the mystery.)
Even as Ben frantically tries to keep his estranged wife (Paula Patton) and children safe, Mirrors doesn't do much to make viewers care; the mirror visions are so powerful that they can't be ignored or denied, which means that the film simply limps from one bloody sequence to another. Aja's other horror films, while also grisly, had a certain style to them; in Mirrors, the slack plot is just an excuse for a series of gory, violent moments that the film lingers on lovingly. Mirrors has plenty of spooks and scares and special effects; what it doesn't have is much of a plot -- or characters worth caring about.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the nature and character of bloody horror films. Why does Hollywood make them, and what purpose do they serve? This movie -- like The Ring, The Grudge, and Pulse -- is a remake of an Asian horror film; why has Hollywood found Asian horror films so worthy of re-visitation over the past few years? Do violent horror films release negative emotional energy or create it? Can violent, graphic images in films like this desensitize viewers? Does it matter whether the goriness seems "over the top"?
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AGE
Mirrors was a disappoint and this is coming from a true horror fan
Mirrors was simply bad. Not because it wasn't scary, because it was jumpy in two scenes, it was boring. Nothing was going on. The gore factor was surprisingly low and that's a low even for Alexandre Aja who makes his films gruesome non-stop from start to finish. Mirrors was completely different. There were so many twist and turns that the story never went anywhere and nothing made any sense. Sometimes things were so stupid I wonder if he recycled ideas from M. Night Shymalan. For sexual content, we see Amy getting ready to take a shower. (We see her buttocks, legs, bare back, and the side of her breast). For violence/gore there are only two gruesome scenes. One scene involves a female ripping her jaw off (extremely gory, gashes of blood, the whole act is on-screen). The other scene involves a man grabbing a shard of glass slashing his throat. (Gashes of blood). Kiefer Sutherland fights an evil nun and there is a lot of blood and gore in this scene. As for profanity, there are at least around 10 f words, some scatological terms, anatomical terms, religious exclamations and profanities, mild obscenities, and name-calling. Overall, skip Mirrors.
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AGE
Disturbing. Just Disturbing.
I sat this movie down with my son and we got to the jaw ripping and dropped it. this movie is gory and disturbing, a very stupid choice for any occasion.
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AGE
Despite the positive role-model characters who put family first, this film contains disturbing violence and gore. The language is strong, but not explicit. Overall, the child needs to understand the unrealistic nature of the film in order to view it without significant impact.
The most questionable scene in the film for children is when a woman lies in a bathtub while her reflection in the mirror turns 'evil' and pulls her jaw apart. Blood sprays everywhere and her face is torn apart in real-life.
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AGE
Really good
Rented this movie last night and I really enjoyed it, didnt want to look into any mirrors after, but it was really good. The ending was a little disapointing though. Would have liked to see him get back to his family... maybe open for a sequal. who knows. But it was a good movie, gor and all
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AGE
Creepy and gory
This movie literally left me looking back in mirrors when i passed by for about 2 weeks. It freaked me out, and was very gory, esp. when a character's jaw is pulled apart. I actually didn't watch because i didn't want that image in my mind. Don't watch if you are already scared of mirrors, or don't want to see blood (lots of it!)
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AGE
sutherland
great movie
keifer sutherland is god
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AGE
The most boring horror movie I have ever seen~
This is, by far, the most boring and the stupidest horror movie I have ever seen. There were a lot of slow parts where nothing important happened. There was a lot of violence, but it wasn't terrifying at all, just stupid. The movie itself was not at all scary, and it seemed like the creators were using excessive violence to make it scary, which didn't work. I don't even understand why they needed anyone to guard a ruined building in the first place; why didn't they tear it down and build something new? It was a stupid movie and it wasn't scary for a 14 year old at all. Because of the violence and gore it's definitely not appropriate for anyone under the age of 13, but I don't recommend it to anyone, since it's a complete waste of time. :/
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| Studio: | Twentieth Century Fox |
| Director: | Alexandre Aja |
| Cast: | Amy Smart, Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton |
| Genre: | Horror |
| Run time: | 110 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | August 15, 2008 |
| DVD release date: | January 12, 2009 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | strong violence, disturbing images, language and brief nudity. |
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