Lily Collins in Mirror, Mirror
Well, there sure is a lot happening on the fairy tale front these days. ABC’s Once Upon A Time debuted to killer ratings and hasn’t lost an ounce of steam yet. NBC’s Grimm, though not as strong as OUAT, is steady in ratings and just received an order for additional scripts. Last week, we got an awesome dose of the first trailer for Snow White and the Huntsman, directed by Rupert Sanders and produced by Alice in Wonderland’s Tim Roth. Criticial reception of the trailer is universally favorable. And to continue this fairy tale train, we now have the first trailer for Tarsem Singh’s Mirror Mirror. Before watching it, you should know that MM is a completely different telling of the fairy tale than SWATH. SWATH is a dark, edgy, epic vision of the story while MM is a playful, romantic comedy with a twist. In this article, we have each of our Snow Whites with their respective seven dwarfs. These photos alone should be able to tell you the diverging directions of the films. But if you had ANY doubts, they will surely be put to rest after watching both trailers. I must be honest, even knowing that MM is meant to be a comedy, I most certainly was not prepared for everything that came out of its trailer. My initial reaction was shock that turned into disbelief that turned into embarrassment. This could be because the bar was set high with SWATH. It could also be because I am a fantasy epic type of person so the vision of SWATH is right up my alley. But the extent to which the MM trailer is over-the-top, goofy, and campy was, at first, unbearable. Now that I’ve watched it a few dozen more times, my thoughts have settled and I think I can speak about it now with a level head (I think it may have actually grown on me).
First and foremost, MM is a quirky, bouncing off-the-walls type of comedy. While it may be labeled as a romantic comedy, the trailer shows very little romance and it’s clear that the comical themes are strongest. These comedic elements are propelled forward through Julia Roberts’ Evil Queen who delivers these one-line zingers that I am sure will get big laughs from parents and children. This is a family film after all. For whatever reason, I got a lot of “ABC Family” and “Hocus Pocus” vibes which I initially thought was a bad thing, but now I am realizing may be intentional. The trailer provides a lot of sass and attitude in a fun, playful way. Lily Collins’ Snow White is the epitome of this. Armie Hammer as Prince definitely has that dreamy quality down pat, but he has something mischievous about him that is intriguing as well. Because it’s a Tarsem Singh film, we can expect some really amazing visuals, but the same thing goes for SWATH based on the cool effects we’ve already seen in its trailer.
Kristen Stewart in Snow White & The Huntsman
Now that both trailers have been released, everyone can’t help but compare the two. What I do find to be an interesting similarity between the films is their choice to put the Queen front and center in their respective trailers. It’s a smart move for SWATH because it allows for the main focus to be put on the dark themes of the film. It also takes some of the focus off of Kristen Stewart, who, during this Twilight craze, could potentially alienate some hardcore, passionate film-goers. Now, in terms of MM, playing up the Queen means playing up Julia Roberts. She is perhaps the biggest draw of the film, even if she has lost some of her major box office power over the years. While general reception of MM’s trailer has so far been pretty negative overall, I think people need to remember a few things. First, MM should not be judged based on what we’ve seen from SWATH. The films couldn’t be any more different, so I have a hard time really comparing them. To me, these are two separate films, and while their actual subjects may be the same, their executions contrast so much that each film is creating original, individual characters and stories. Second, MM is a very self-aware comedy. People might call it cheesy and goofy, but it is essentially a comical caricature of the classic tale. It’s not meant to be taken seriously like SWATH. That is the essential difference between a comedy and a dramatic fantasy epic. They are in different leagues.
While I feel like I’ve just spent this entire post defending MM, I still must say that I am most excited to see SWATH. I do think the vision of this film is the more original of the two versions. Seeing the Snow White tale be told on such a large, epic scale is refreshing and it will allow us to look at the story with new eyes. If you are an avid cinema fan it should be no surprise that you will favor SWATH. But, I think both films will serve their purpose as well as their target audiences. Take a look at both trailers below and see what you think!
MIRROR MIRROR First Trailer:
SNOW WHITE & THE HUNTSMAN First Trailer:
