• Director and Writer Audio Commentary
* Neil Talks: interview with writer Neil Gaiman (5:53)
* Dave Talks About Film: interview with director Dave McKean
* Beginnings: the genesis of MirrorMask
* Cast & Crew Interviews (7:45)
* Day 16: time-lapse video of the entire day of production
* Flight of the Monkeybirds: making the Monkeybird sequence (4:11)
* Giants Development: design and creation of the Giants sequence
* Questions & Answers: Q&A sessions at the San Diego Comic-Con (20:25)
* (BD-Live Enabled)
 

Product Description: The White Queen sleeps and will not wake. Black shadows have fallen across her kingdom. The balance between Dark and Light is broken and only the MIRRORMASK can restore it. So Helena, a stranger in a strange land, embarks on an epic quest to find the missing charm before darkness envelops the Dreamworld forever. Written by award-winning fantasy writer Neil Gaiman, MirrorMask is a phantasmagorical treat for the eyes and mind, a wondrous blend of live action and CG animation, where strange, magical creatures dwell in a fantasy world of unbridled imagination and scope, as told through the spectacular, cutting-edge visuals of designer/director Dave McKean...

 

 

 

The Film:

If I offered the opinion that MirrorMask is an amalgamation of Alice in Wonderland, The NeverEnding Story, The Wizard of Oz, Labyrinth, M.C. Escher & Tim Burton, you'd probably be pretty intrigued...if not all that convinced of the film's unique vision and startling presentation. But despite clear "inspiration" from these and numerous other sources, MirrorMask still stands as a powerfully original composition. It's playful, dark and mysterious. It's got a few simple little morals, it's amazingly gorgeous to look at, and it's effortlessly enthralling for 90-some straight minutes. Much of the movie feels comfortably familiar...yet it's certainly unlike anything you've ever seen before.

 

 

Perhaps a bit too bizarre for fans of the mainstream fantasy movies, this movie is an absolute cult classic waiting to happen. Equal parts wild adventure and lyrical allegory, MirrorMask puts many of its genre brethren to shame. It's not afraid to delve into true "weirdness," and this approach also serves as a sort of filtering process: make it through the first 30 minutes without rolling your eyes or scratching your head, and you're well on your way to falling in love with this adorably insane movie...

Excerpt from Scoot Weinberg's review at eFilmCritic.com located HERE

 

Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were ripped directly from the Blu-ray disc.

I'd say this Blu-ray transfer is fairly mediocre. There is so much style and technique in the film it's hard to rate it faithfully against other transfers - but the less-effects-driven scenes are moderately impressive with healthy detail and a bit of a muted palette. Some will love the unique look of the dream-sequences and the Blu-ray which, along with the audio, creates quite a substantial art-infused environment. I wasn't as keen on the film which had no strong appeal personally speaking. The image even shows some decent depth and contrast may be the weakest visual element. Background noise exists - more in monochromatic scenes. The image clean and smooth. Technically it is dual-layered with the feature size being a strong 28.8 Gig. I don't see evidence of DNR or edge enhancements. Complaints would be more accurately suited to the MirrorMask's style - I think the transfer is decent and relatively flawless.

 

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio & Music:  
The TrueHD was quite active with effects sounds coming out of all speakers. I preferred the subtleties although when more aggressive mix was activated the the track responded generously. I wasn't super-keen on Iain Ballamy original music but admit that it seemed appropriate for the film narrative. There are two TrueHD foreign language DUBs as well as standard 5.1 offerings and subtitles are offered in English, and other language options.

 

Extras:
Aside from the McKean/Gaiman commentary - which would have been more interesting to me had I enjoyed the film more - there is a Q+A, from a ComicCon in San Diego, and a number of short featurettes on production and the cast. Nothing - aside from a trailer for Waterhorse is in HD. I suspect if you enjoyed the film then the supplements should interest you and perhaps add to your appreciation. I'll admit this appeared to be a very focused work effort by the filmmakers.

 

 

 

Bottom line:
I think there are things to enjoy about MirrorMask but they just didn't gel together for me personally. The film's heavy style can occasionally look hypnotic on Blu-ray. It's a bit of a visual foray in 1080P and this may be worth checking out for some despite my reservations about the final product. Certainly it's unique qualities are something that many will appreciate and the Blu-ray is a very competent package from Sony.

Gary Tooze

November 13th, 2008