Mirrors
Starring: Kiefer Sutherland,
Paula Patton, Amy Smart
Directed by: Alexandre Aja (“The Hills Have
Eyes”)
Written by: Alexandre Aja (“High Tension”) and
Gregory Levassure (“P2”)
By Kiko
Martinez
If
this really is the only live action film work actor
Kiefer Sutherland can get while shooting his
ever-popular “24” series, then it might be a good idea
for him to stick to the TV show until some free time
grants him more of a clear his head before jumping into
one of the worst films of the year.
There’s
nothing frightening or exciting about “Mirrors,” French
filmmaker Alexandre Aja’s first film since grossing us
out with the remake of “The Hills Have Eyes” two years
ago. The only horrifying thing about the film is that
Aja, who is considered to be part of the new “Splat
Pack” of directors focusing on gory details to reel
audiences into their bordello of blood, was actually
given a paycheck by 20th Century Fox to make
this.
The
thoughtless story begins as ex-NYPD officer Ben Carson
(Sutherland), who is put on an undetermined leave of
absence after killing a man, finds work as a security
guard for a gutted department story destroyed three
years ago in a fire. What Ben doesn’t know is that
there’s an evil presence trapped inside the mirrors of
the store that causes anyone that looks at their own
reflection to see things that are not there and do harm
to themselves.
Soon, the
dark power inside the mirrors follows Ben away from his
worksite and begins to threaten his sister (Amy Smart),
ex-wife (Paula Patton) and two children. The only way
Ben can save his family is to research the history
behind the store and find out what the entity wants
before it strikes again.
“Mirrors” is
unwatchable simply because of the poorly-written script
by Aja and co-writer
Gregory
Levassure. There are unintentional moments of humor when
Sutherland screams at the mirrors, “What do you want
with me!” and predictable dialogue when a morgue
employee makes a joke about “seven years bad luck.” That
is the scope of what “Mirrors” offer. Well, that and the
usual gruesome accents Aja tosses in to keep his
bloodthirsty reputation on the lowest of plateaus. Good thing he cast
someone like Sutherland, who knows from his 1990 film
what it's like to flatline.
Grade: F
