Mirrors 2

I really dug this film. It is a film that is not for the squeamish Im telling you. The movie stars Nick Stahl who will probably best be remembered as the second John Conner in Terminator 3, or the "Yellow Bastard" Roark Jr. from Sin City. This is a intense little horror thriller. That feeds on suspense and the viewers ...empathy. With its situational awkwardness and bloody gory scenes. It is under the radar because its a straight to video release. I actually think it is a far superior movie then the first film. A better story and less money behind it. I truly believe this film is a hidden gem. Less can be more. Sometimes independent films are better then... mainstream releases because every dollar counts and that they need to be used wisely. What is more important to a mature audience story or mainstream actors and special effects.

"Mirrors 2" isn't exactly in the same league as its predecessor. Unlike the Kiefer Sutherland story, there's more or less no suspense. Not because its predictable (which it isn't), but simply because it's a sequel. Actually, this isn't a sequel. It's a rehash of the first one, except there's no mystery this time. I found this "sequel" fairly enjoyable, and I recommend to anyone not expecting too much out of it. Compared to the previous story, this one is a pale imitation, which is easy to see why it went straight to DVD. A worthy rental, but it's not worth spending 20 some dollars on.

**1/2 out of ****

Well, having just sat through this sequel to the otherwise fairly nice movie "Mirrors" from 2008, this movie was somewhat of a disappointing follow-up.

First of all, I wonder if any of the people behind this movie ever saw "Stir of Echoes" (the movie with Kevin Bacon)? Because "Mirrors 2" seems like an outright copy of that movie, just set in a different setting.

This movie isn't all bad, don't get me wrong. I think the acting was actually fair enough, although it is no award-winning performances, but people did well enough with what they had. However, the movie is lacking depths for the characters, because you never get to immerse yourself fully into the characters.

And also the effects were good enough. And the apparition of Eleanor in the mirror was just disturbing enough to make her (at least) somewhat creepy to look at.

The storyline and plot is not well-thought through. As I mentioned above, it seems to be a replica of "Stir of Echoes". Despite that, then the story moved on at a good enough pace, although it was predictable and there weren't any surprise twists or moments that made you go 'wow'.

Now that I have seen it, I somewhat sit here with a feeling of 'this is the type of sequel that never really should have seen the light of day'. This was like brewing soup off of an already cooked-out broth. Very weak storyline and an overall pointless movie.

If you like the first movie "Mirrors", then I bet you will be disappointed with this sequel. But if you haven't seen the first movie, then you might just like this one. However, for a night's worth of scared entertainment, your money is better spent on "Geoul Sokeuro" (aka. "Into the Mirror") a Korean horror movie from 2003. It outshines "Mirrors 2" by a light-years, and it is also better than the original "Mirrors" movie.

'MIRRORS 2': Three Stars (Out of Five)

Sequel to director Alexandre Aja's 2008 remake, starring Kiefer Sutherland, of the 2003 Korean horror film 'IN TO THE MIRROR'. This sequel centers around the same concept of the first film, visions of murders seen in the reflection of mirrors by a night security guard, but features different characters and an all new cast. This time the night security guard is played by Nick Stahl. It's directed by Victor Garcia (who's directed other such direct to video horror sequels as 'RETURN TO HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL' and the upcoming 'HELLRAISER: REVELATIONS') and written by Matt Venne (who also wrote direct to video horror sequel 'WHITE NOISE 2: THE LIGHT').

Stahl plays Max Matheson a new night security guard at Mayflower Department Store (the same building from the first film) who takes the job where his father (played by William Katt) works after the former guard quits due to self inflicted injuries. Max has recently suffered the loss of a loved one in a traumatic accident and is still severely troubled by it. Soon after he starts working Max begins seeing images of a missing girl in the Store's mirrors as well as fellow co-workers causing themselves grotesque bodily harm. As these visions continue to become real Max tries to use his powers to prevent them and solve the mystery of the haunted girl.

I never saw the original Korean film but I did like Aja's remake (which is all Aja seems to do). I do think it's probably his weakest film though. While this sequel is not as good as Aja's film it is a satisfying continuation. The mirror death scenes are haunting, the murder mystery and characters are somewhat intriguing and the acting is decent. For a direct to video sequel I found it pretty impressive. Not a great horror film but it gives the viewer what it wants.

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Mystery/metaphysical horror film. It is an independent story from the first and unfortunately does not give clear explanations regarding the ending of the first movie. The main element, however, remains the mirrors and in particular the mirrors from the old burnt mall of the first film. According to some beliefs, after a violent death the soul can be trapped in a mirror in search of redemption. This in part could explain the ending of the first movie. Unlike the element of possession that the first one had, the second film is limited only to reflections and deaths. Overall, it is interesting and has good acting and script, but it is much less intense than the first, and at a much slower pace and focuses more on mystery than terror. It also has some unnecessary gore/splatter and nudity elements that were absent from the first. It's significantly below the first one and since it's not a sequel, you can skip it. Still worth a watch, but only for once.