We begin by meeting a security guard running for his life into a locker room. He looks in a large mirror and his reflection cuts it's throat. The security guard collapses bleeding from a real neck wound.
Next we meet Kiefer Sutherland as he starts his first day of work in a large mall that looks like castle/federal museum with giant ceilings and Greek columns. The mall burnt and is currently vacant only occupied by some leftovers from the stores mainly mannequins, furniture, and huge mirrors. The mirrors are squeaky clean. We are told the Kiefer's predecessor obsessed about keeping them clean.
The life of Kiefer's character is a mess. Out of a job from the police department, divorced and in trouble with his lovely wife over the two kids, sleeping on his lovely sister's couch and apparently with some type of a prescription drug problem. On his rounds at his new job he discovers something odd. A hand print on a mirror. The print can't be removed. It's on the other side of the mirror. He also discovers a flooded basement. Back at home he starts seeing things in the mirror. And starts investigating things about the place and the security guard who he replaced. He suspects that it is not just in his head as others tell him but that something is not right with this building and the mirrors.
It turns out next to the mall was a hospital where strange treatments took place in the psychiatric unit. As a result of what happened there to a young girl, the mirrors in the mall are trying to convey a message. Kiefer continues with the investigation tracking down the girl. In the meantime the mirrors start attacking his loved ones.
There are a couple of twists near the end. The story takes on quite a different character from the mirror-attacking-people story. Also the end is a neat surprise. Unusual ending and very interesting.
Aja knows how to direct horror and actors. And this movie is nicely photographed and has great camera work. There are some good scares and gore scenes. And the story itself is good. The only problem I found is that it's too long at nearly two hours and could have used a re-editing for tightness. The mirrors are as much as a character as Kiefer, who himself is not a very approachable guy in this movie. Overall a watchable milder horror film that could use either more horror or deletion of scenes to make it tighter more action-packed.
Next we meet Kiefer Sutherland as he starts his first day of work in a large mall that looks like castle/federal museum with giant ceilings and Greek columns. The mall burnt and is currently vacant only occupied by some leftovers from the stores mainly mannequins, furniture, and huge mirrors. The mirrors are squeaky clean. We are told the Kiefer's predecessor obsessed about keeping them clean.
The life of Kiefer's character is a mess. Out of a job from the police department, divorced and in trouble with his lovely wife over the two kids, sleeping on his lovely sister's couch and apparently with some type of a prescription drug problem. On his rounds at his new job he discovers something odd. A hand print on a mirror. The print can't be removed. It's on the other side of the mirror. He also discovers a flooded basement. Back at home he starts seeing things in the mirror. And starts investigating things about the place and the security guard who he replaced. He suspects that it is not just in his head as others tell him but that something is not right with this building and the mirrors.
It turns out next to the mall was a hospital where strange treatments took place in the psychiatric unit. As a result of what happened there to a young girl, the mirrors in the mall are trying to convey a message. Kiefer continues with the investigation tracking down the girl. In the meantime the mirrors start attacking his loved ones.
There are a couple of twists near the end. The story takes on quite a different character from the mirror-attacking-people story. Also the end is a neat surprise. Unusual ending and very interesting.
Aja knows how to direct horror and actors. And this movie is nicely photographed and has great camera work. There are some good scares and gore scenes. And the story itself is good. The only problem I found is that it's too long at nearly two hours and could have used a re-editing for tightness. The mirrors are as much as a character as Kiefer, who himself is not a very approachable guy in this movie. Overall a watchable milder horror film that could use either more horror or deletion of scenes to make it tighter more action-packed.