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Film #20 of "Scavenger Hunt #3" Challenge!
Task #14 : A film about/featuring a circus!
letterboxd.com/naughty/list/scavenger-hunt-3/
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The exquisite wickedly dark visuals were so breathtakingly beautiful I forgave the extremely weak story and dialogue! I also loved it for best use of the Carpenter's tune "Close To You" in a motion picture film ever!

Director Dave McKean is an artistic genius! He's also a nincompoop for allowing an inferior script to sabotage this visionary masterpiece!

The perfect fantasy world to let yourselves get lost in!
Pure Eye Candy!

Neil Gaiman Films Entry #1

A bizarrely charming "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"/"Alice in Wonderland" style film written by Neil Gaiman. The story follows a young girl transported to dreamlike world where she's coveted by an oppressive mother figure (Gaiman explored similar themes in his book "Coraline" which was adapted into a fantastic film). The film's visuals by director Dave McKeanare switch from dreamlike to nightmarish on the fly. Stephanie Leonidas carries the film convincingly as a teenage Helena despite being in her 20s. A tantalizing escape down the rabbithole film for kids and adults alike.

A critic's thoughts:

Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a rating of A-, saying that the film is a "dazzling reverie of a kids-and-adults movie, an unusual collaboration between lord-of-the-cult multimedia artist Dave McKean and king-of-the-comics Neil Gaiman (The Sandman)" and that it "has something to astonish everyone."

Despite being a fan of both Gaiman and McKean I never got on with this adaptation. I was hoping a rewatch, after seven years, would have changed my opinion but unfortunately it just reinforced my original view.

Mirrormask is a twisted fairytale and coming-of-age story that captures the distinctive visuals of Dave McKean (who also directs). Unfortunately, the blend of live action and CGI is a strange and unconvincing mix that often looks quite ugly. For all its visual invention the story is incredibly straightforward, despite the quirky diversions, but it fails to engage on any emotional level whatsoever. The actors also seem to struggle against the green screen backgrounds and interacting with CGI characters too. For those that do like the film you may also like a film called, Taxandria.

Neil Gaiman is one of the most creative writers out there. I have read all his books, comics and watched everything based on his work. This film is, by far, my favourite Gaiman based work. This mainly has to do with the matching of Gaiman's incredible fantasy to the visual art of McKean.
Now, there is a lot of evidence here that this is a first time effort at a full-length feature film. The pacing is off and it has structural problems, but it doesn't matter one tiny bit. It is visually stunning, original and in certain scenes completely unique.
This is Gaiman's Alice in wonderland and he, as always, delivers a truly original story with memorable characters.
So if you love fantasy and can appreciate visual flair, you should defintely check this out!

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Poorly aged special effects, characters with vague and boring personalities and a plot that follows a very typical hero’s journey. But like labyrinth and dark crystal, what it lacks in conventional traits it makes up for in creativity. But unlike those movies the effects are less impressive because of its reliance on CGI.

Dreamy, surrealistic, and imaginative, this is a terrific fantasy about a girl who finds herself in a bizarre alternate reality. Visually spectacular, with eyepopping sights at every corner, and a clever storyline that keeps viewers guessing. A winner from Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean, and Henson.

Do you ever think to yourself, "Golly, more movies could certainly use the aesthetic of 2000s progressive power metal music videos?" If you said yes, you need this in your life! Those with taste need not apply.

Very Good movie

Feature film debut for long-time collaborators Neil Gaiman (writer) and Dave McKean (director); I could try to do a plot synopsis of this one, but describing an Alice in Wonderland meets Labyrinth plot just can't do justice to the movie; this one is really all about the visuals. The plot and dialogue are far from Gaiman's strongest efforts, but the surreal visuals provided by his and McKean's creative collaboration are what carry the film. Honestly, if you look at some screenshots and don't find yourself filled with a sense of "Oooo, cool!" then this movie probably isn't for you. As for me, well, the movie was worth it for the sphinxes and monkey-birds alone.

A unique spectacle, but struggles to support itself. Dave McKean's signature collage style is both the best and worst thing about the film; it's distinct and varied but too cacaphonous to be resonant, too distant to be emotional.

I loved the designs despite the effects ranging from ropey to unsettlingly ropey.
I liked the incongruity until it was too aggressively weird.
It could just come down to personal preference, I liked the parts I liked and the rest was just sort of there.

a slightly underwhelming story with a few little gaps but great visuals! i love the visuals!

- I can see Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer squealing with delight at the macabre circus bullshit. it's all just nonsense for the sake of it.
- shitty ugly cgi
- blurry fuzzy light
- this is like low budget tv quality
- Jim Henson was known for practical effects, puppets, and costumes. his name should not be on this.
- honestly, I thought the scenes in Brighton, England were the most interesting. that cool looking apartment building.
- oh and the ravens wearing big red monk robes.
- ugh... these steam punk doll heads are mechanically dancing to a musicbox chamber music cover of The Carpenters "they long to be close to you" .... kill me