Seen on: August 15, 2008

The players: Director: Alexandre Aja, Writers: Alexandre Aja, Gregory Levasseur, Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Amy Smart, Ezra Buzzington, Erica Gluck, Cameron Boyce

Facts of interest: Based on the South Korean flick "Geoul sokeuro."

The plot: A security guard becomes obsessed with mirrors in an old building after they start playing scary tricks on him.

Our quick thoughts: In Alexandre Aja’s Hollywood horror remake “Mirrors,” Kiefer Sutherland stars as Ben Carson, a former NYPD detective who’s having a hard time battling his alcohol problem and communicating with his wife Amy (Paula Patton).

In an attempt to start over and be a good father to his kids, Ben takes a job as a security guard of an old Manhattan building that was heavily damaged in a fire. Little does he know that the property is haunted by a ruthless evil that uses mirrors to kill people.

The first 45 minutes of “Mirrors” are not necessarily that disastrous, but it’s the second part of the film that unfolds into a mess too ridiculous for anyone to bear. Relying solely on silly shock effects and unimpressive gore to scare his audience, Aja clearly fails to inject the genre with some innovation.

Much like every other recent horror remake, the movie follows a shallow main character trying to piece together the puzzle before more people end up dying. Unfortunately, this means watching Sutherland see things in mirrors and engage in endless dialogue for an insane 110 minutes.

Sure, Aja succeeds in creating some very efficient sequences that give you a solid scare for a second, but these moments are too rare to stick out among all the obvious flaws of “Mirrors.” In the end, shrill sounds and darkness are the only tools the helmer uses to set up the flick’s mediocre atmosphere. Long-lasting suspense is scarce throughout.

If you haven’t had enough after the second third of the film you may notice Aja’s effort to inject his horror story with a message, although the allegory here remains too simplistic to engage viewers. That’s all I can and want to say about it. 

In 2006’s “The Sentinel,” Sutherland proved he wasn’t exactly fit enough to appear on the big screen, and while his performance as Ben Carson is clearly an improvement, he still doesn’t kick as much butt as on television’s hit series “24.” Of course, part of the reason is the cheap material he was given to work with here.

Supporting roles include Paula Patton and Amy Smart, but neither actress plays an interesting enough character. Their undeniable beauty helps you keep your eyes on the screen for a while, but it sure doesn’t make the film any better. Recruiting big names for a shallow horror pic… not the best idea! 

Freaky quote: “Baby, what's wrong?" – Kiefer Sutherland

The final word: I was totally captivated by Alexandre Aja’s French horror masterpiece “Haute tension,” but I have to admit I couldn’t care less about this recent work, which includes the remake of “The Hills Have Eyes” and “P2” (he co-wrote that one).

In the end, “Mirrors” is yet another forgettable horror remake that will likely scare some teens and generate moderate box office success. Save your money and skip it.           

Article by Franck Tabouring