Review of Visual Clusterf*ck Recommendation - MirrorMask

When I say “visual clusterf^ck”, I mean a movie that is so full of CGI, art design, and crazy sets that it becomes a bit overwhelming. These movies could be interpreted as crazy drug trips such as Mandy, or movies that are covered in CGI to cover rushed productions like Alice in Wonderland, or simply trying to create an insane new world for us to explore and ponder. Such as my recommendation in this category…

This movie is so utterly insane, I can’t really believe it exists. It’s a movie that looks like Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland except with somehow better CGI in 2004, way more imagination than any film of its period, and a general sense of stepping into a book that Stephen King wrote during his Maximum Overdrive cocaine phase. It’s wildly original, visually stunning and utterly engrossing.

So this movie is directed by first-timer Dave McKean, a longtime illustrator of books such as Hellblazer, Batman, The Sandman, The Graveyard Book and Coraline, and written by McKean and British fantasy-maestro Neil Gaiman. You really get a sense of McKean’s background as an illustrator when watching this movie, as it’s heavily visual in experience, and trying to be as abstract and experimental as possible. Gaiman’s unique style of world-building is also present throughout, with bizarre characters introduced without much fanfare, and a heavy emphasis on diverse locations and action. Combined, they come together like a feature-length graphic novel like The Dark Knight Returns or anything by Alan Moore, and it’s fascinating to watch.

Is this a vague NGV painting or some high school art project? Nope, this is a feature-film from Neil Gaiman.

If I were to make any strong comparison’s in terms of filmmaking, I would choose Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal, a similarly crazy fantasy movie with a ton of world building (and had the same company doing special effects) or Alice in Wonderland, where a teenage girl falls into an insane new world and is caught up in its tribulations. But this movie has no comparison visually. It’s totally unique and utterly beautiful, and while some CGI can be distracting, I would take this movie’s style over any of the period halls or sci-fi corridors that dominate mainstream films now.

Stephanie Leonidas and Jason Barry as Helena Campbell and Valentine.

When it comes to story, acting and characters, MirrorMask is never going to be able to match up to its visuals, but there’s a genuine attempt at emotional connection in the characters and performers. Stephanie Leonidas and Jason Barry as the film’s leads Helena and Valentine play off each other really well as a London acrobat and an asshole street performer, while the rest of the film has cameos from the like of Stephen Fry as a living Picasso painting and Lenny Henry as some red flamingos on stilts. All characters have genuine motivation, there’s genuine stakes to all the proceedings and, while the story does take a back seat to the effects at a detriment at points, it’s still a strong story with a great central character. I really didn’t expect so much effort to be put in.

In short, MirrorMask is a truly underrated fantasy movie with fantastic ideas, amazing visuals and a genuinely unique take on its genre. Dave McKean and Neil Gaiman haven’t been able to make any films like this that have gotten a wide release, so check this thing out as it is truly one-of-a-kind.

So, if you’ve seen MirrorMask, what do you think of it? What kind of drug do you think watching it brings the most similar experience to? Leave your answers in the comments, and have a nice day.