WakenPayne I love fantasy. It has to be my favourite genre of anything. I am not really aware of Neil Gaiman's other work aside from Stardust but I truly think that this is better. Think of this movie as sort of a crossover between Wizard Of Oz (movie not the books) with Labyrinth.So what exactly is the plot? A 15 year old girl brought up in a circus wants to lead a normal life. After one show her mother is taken ill and needs an operation. When she finds out that her mother needs an operation she doesn't take things well. That night she dreams that she is in a world with real life character parallels and is mistaken for a Dark Princess. The Queen of The Light has fallen into a coma and the only thing that can stop the darkness consuming the rest of the world is a Mirror-Mask, that basically grants wishes. However whenever she looks through windows she sees herself being an out of control rebellious teenager destroying the dream world (of which she draws on paper earlier).I must say that I was impressed with Stephanie Leonidas' performance. All the acting was decent but she was the best performance, at least in my opinion. I did like the effects, mainly because it gives off a dreamy atmosphere to it. If you are a fan of fantasy and have a taste in movies like mine then watch this.

arkos4440 Throughout this strange and extraordinary film there is an unusual and dynamic interplay of form and content that lends a unique character to the film that is far outside of the mainstream, but better for it. Watching this movie, I felt as though I was staring at a piece of abstract art, a work that takes any and every emotional quality of the character and personifies it with bizarre imagery that is true to an emotional reality rather than a physical. Through the old-fashioned look of the bulk of the film to the themes that are repeatedly utilized in the story, it draws upon an interesting lineage of artistic styles and themes to tell it's story. Personally I find it difficult to discern whether this movie is more concerned with form, as it distorts reality to convey its message, or the content, as its story is as engrossing as its visuals. Though I would consider more content oriented, I believe it is possible to argue that it is more of a visual work. In short, it was a stunning look at the human mind and the problems we all face, using a powerful style of artwork that is distinctly rooted in more abstract traditions.

lowasah Mirrormask is heavier on image than story, but the images are so moving that they overcome the lightness of the plot. Or maybe you could even say that they add enough weight and depth to the simple story that they give the viewer a chance to make a really personal connection to the film.The protagonist flips from grey real London to a metaphor, a flat world where everyone (but her) wears a mask. Creatures of all sorts flit through this world. Cats that eat pages from books, giant stone people that float, etc. These are her drawings - and thus her inner truth - come to life. Living inside one's own creation is a strange thought. She looks through windows back into the real world and sees her older self, teenage angst and roads that lead to nowhere but trouble. I was moved by the images in mirror mask, and the idea that, inside our deepest parts there are forces of good and evil fighting for control, fighting for access to the real world. In one scene, the girl is dressed by serenading robots. "Why do birds / suddenly appear / every time / you are near?" and it is not clear if they are referring to love, obsession, or perhaps even real birds, or bird heads with gorilla bodies. Who knows, in this place? They dress the girl, put on makeup, change her hair to "evil." Even in this transition there is tenderness. Upon defeat of the black forces, the universe collapses into itself. Maybe these childhood fantasies rely on the tension between good and evil. We choose too strongly, blend the colours, and are forced out of this dynamic world into one that is uniformly grey.

Billy_Crash MirrorMask had a great look and tons of potential, but the story just didn't hold up - especially in the all important second act.Gaiman, a solid and profound writer, created an excellent visual landscape, but his fantasy tale lacked conflict and excessive hardships for the characters. Yes, the characters were tested, but it was completely manageable.The actor's certainly shined in the eclectic atmosphere, but there were certain elements missing from each to drive the theme home and make the movie solid.If more time had been spent on a faster moving, cohesive and definitive story instead of CGI and puppetry, this would have been phenomenal.