MirrorMask - REVIEW

Welcome to the YAthenaeum Movie Script Special!

Brigitte & Lorena's Review of MirrorMask by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean

Now. MirrorMask is the cause of obsession for many people, ourselves included. Why you ask? Because it is amazing. That is all.

Now, serious mask on, MirrorMask is about a young teenager (Helena) who's having a not so great life. While young children may dream of running away to join the circus, she dreams of running away and joining real life. But one evening, while having a recurring argument with her mother, Helena wished she would be the death of her. Not too soon after, her mother falls ill and the overbearing guilt sends Helena spiraling into the labyrinth of her creation, the City of Drawings.

Now in this mysterious world she vaguely recognizes, she discovers that the city of light is in a predicament much like her own. The White Queen has fallen into an unbreakable slumber, and while she rests, The Darkness has begun to swallow her kingdom and it's inhabitants. Now Helena, with nothing more than her fluffy bunny slippers, and Valentine at her side, must embark on a journey to find the "charm" and wake the White Queen.


Gaiman's and McKean's ability to allow you to transcend into a world where anything can happen, the quirky characters that you can't help to fall in love with, and the humorous yet resonating dialogue makes MirrorMask one of the best books/movies I have ever seen. Visuals are also one of the strongest virtues of the movie. Supported by the rich storytelling and beautiful art direction, Mirrormask takes the phrase "So real you can almost step into it," to a new level of surreal-ity. It's a world where statements of common use to us, will become the basis for their laws. After all, we shouldn't leave A Really Useful Book lying around a library, it'll just depress the rest of them.

Warning: This movie/book should only be enjoyed by those who love blurring the lines of reality and dreams without the need of hallucinogens.