Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Fox Home Entertainment– 111 minutes – 2008 – Unrated – 1080p Widescreen 2.40:1 – DTS HD 5.1 Lossless Audio – Digital Copy

Hollywood tosses out plenty of horror-thrillers every year, some good and plenty of them bad. In the case of the movie Mirrors, here’s a one that should be placed in the middle, because it’s not a bad film at all, but at the same time it doesn’t add anything new to the genre. Mirror comes to Blu-ray from Fox Home Entertainment offering some thrills and chills just as long as you accept it for what it is.

THE MOVIE

Mirrors stars Kiefer Sutherland as Ben Carson a former cop who has fallen into deep depression and alcoholism, causing him to split from his wife Amy (Paula Patton) and two children. To earn a living Ben takes a job as a night security guard at a former famous New York City department store, which was closed down after a massive fire that left it in ruins. What should have been an easy job begins to turn into something more as Ben notices odd occurrences inside the place that also seem to be following him outside.

The many mirrors that fill the store have all been untouched by the catastrophe, and Ben quickly discovers that they are the link to what he has been seeing and experiencing. Obviously no one believes him, particularly his wife who believes he’s having a breakdown. But when their children are put at risk by this terror, Ban and Amy must do everything they can to protect them from this unknown terror that is attempting to rip their family apart.

Directed by Alexandre Aja, Mirrors is a loose remake of the Korean horror film Into The Mirror, and has many of the elements we’ve seen in previous Asian horror remakes such as The Ring, Dark Water, and The Grudge. Mirrors works because it’s not going after the typical Gossip Girl teenager audience, and instead focuses on a family in danger. Kiefer Sutherland and co-star Paula Patton give solid performances and you can relate to their situation, because even though there are many moments of gore and cheap thrills, it’s all about getting the children out of harm’s way.

Mirrors is a perfect Saturday night horror film, mainly because it’s not a silly slasher flick and stays faithful to the Asian horror cinema genre. My only gripe is that there were CGI effects thrown in places that really did not need them, turning certain scenes into overkill, but this can be overlooked because at least the story remained solid. For horror fans, especially those tired of dumb horror remakes like Prom Night, The Hills Have Eyes, and One Missed call, Mirrors is definitely worth your attention.

VIDEO

This Blu-ray offers a full 1080p image in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio, and even though it’s not spectacular, it looks good. Most of the film is shot in dark interiors so there is heavy grain, but it works because of the tone. The film offers two visual styles where when the family is together colors are bright and clean, but when Ben is on his dark path colors are muted and the darkness is highlighted. Under the proper setting, such as in a room with the lights out on a rainy night, the look of the film will pull you in.

AUDIO

With a Dolby Digital DTS HD 5.1 Lossless Master Audio mix, if you have a surround sound system this film will make you jump in all the right places. The sound effects stand out making what the characters experience more intense. Dialogue sounds crisp and even all the creepy background sounds remain strong. This one is definate show off material for audio lovers. One other note is that the film’s music score by Javier Navarrete is perfect.

EXTRAS

Mirrors hits Blu-ray in a two-disc edition offering both the theatrical as well as the unrated version with a alternative ending.

Anna Esseker Hospital Footage is a recreation of one of the key figures of the movie, showing the torture she went through as a child in the asylum.

Eight deleted scenes are offered with an optional commentary by Director Alexandre Aja.

Reflections: The Making of Mirrors shows you what went into the production, including interviews with the cast and crew.

Behind the Mirror is a mini documentary on the history of mirrors and its relation to the supernatural.

There’s an animated storyboard sequence of the bathtub death scene, which is one of the main highlights of the film.

Via the BonusView Picture-in-Picture (PiP), you can watch behind the scenes clips from the film.

Finally there’s a Digital Copy of the film for your portable device of choice.

BOTTOM LINE

Mirrors is a well done horror thriller that should satisfy fans of the genre. The Blu-ray is solid package with good picture and excellent sound as well as a worthy offering of bonus features including a Digital Copy. If you enjoyed the film, this Blu-ray is worth owning, but if you’re skeptical give it a rent first, but you may be surprised with how well it’s done.

SCORES (out of 5):

The Movie: 3.0

Video: 3.5

Sound: 4.5

Extras: 4.0

Bottom Line: 4.0