I’ve just come from seeing the film and I’m here to tell you, it’s worth the price of admission and then some. The look of the film is the first thing that takes you: it’s pure McKean, gorgeous and lush and surreal and vivid as a dream, perfectly capturing the feel of the Sandman.
Then you notice the writing. It’s a rare film that successfully translates the ineffable oomph of a prose writer’s style to the big screen. Gaiman’s work is quirky, understated, funny and smart. In Mirrormask, it translates brilliantly to the screen. The dialog crackles. It’s laugh-out-loud funny. It’s spooky. It’s weird and perfectly complimentary to McKean’s illustration style.
This is a collaboration between three incredibly talented fantasists, two of whom have done so much work together that they clearly are in nigh-psychic communication with one another. I want to see this one again, and again. I haven’t seen a film as lovely as this since Brazil. I haven’t seen a film as enchanting since The Princess Bride.
The opening weekend grosses will determine the film’s long-term success. You’ve got one more day to see it when it counts — catch it tomorrow [meaning Sunday] and help spread it to a world that needs it.