The Mirrormask of Vendetta

Tonight Tammy and I watched the long awaited MirrorMask. Living in an evil place like we do we have been unable to see this movie until now. We had promises from a local theatre and even a "scheduled" Theatrical Release Date from this local establishment, but it never showed. This independent theatre had a good history with showing quality films and giving regular midnight showings, but ended up neglecting two good recent opportunities. They also didn't show Thumbsucker which has me worried they have neglected to renew a contract with Sony Pictures Classic.
Nevertheless, this movie has been well worth waiting for. It is the story of a protagonist named Helena, who works in a Circus with her family, to journey through her images and dreams to find the enigmatic MirrorMask. I found the story to be a fantastic parable reflecting the journey through self identity and handling crisis. The trials and tribulations of the journey are very identifiable being a long time fan of the creative work of both writer Neil Gaiman and Director/designer Dave McKean. The film was an odyssey to the land of myths and images presented by two of the most prominent, innovative storytellers of the modern comic era. I feel that it would be safe to say that if you were ever a fan of the Sandman comic series from Vertigo or any of the works of Neil Gaiman you would definitely, or at the very least appreciate, if not absolutely love, MirrorMask. I find it difficult to find anything wrong with this modern masterpiece aside from the smallest detail. While a small detail, like the score could destroy other movies, somehow MirrorMask stands above this problem. While I do not hate said score, and some will probably disagree, I feel that the horns and freeform jazz influence was a bit to much for an already overwhelming visual feast. I think there are two options that were not achieved with the score as it was. First, it could have been minimized to bring a greater focus onto the images and story at hand (not to mention the very strong voice and effect tracks that were magnificent). By minimized I just mean removing the horns. The second option would be to bring the story together with an orgasmic, symbiotic score that blends the visual exploration with a reality distorting analysis into sonic ecstasy... unfortunately, anything that awe-inspiring was sorely lacking. In the movies defense, this is only my opinion and other may disagree, finding the music to fit the movie like a well tailored glove. Believe me when I say that the score does not hurt the viewing pleasure of this movie enough to neglect seeing it. Now, I have to say it leaves a great deal of expectations from the Vertigo story V for Vendetta. While MirrorMask is not directly related to Vertigo comics, it's creators have a long standing history with the D.C. owned company. After showing how disastrous a Vertigo story can be when translated to film by a big by a major studio with Constantine, MirrorMask shows that sometimes good work, by intelligent artists can still slip through the cracks. It is unfair to base expectations of a major studio blockbuster on a limited release like MirrorMask, especially when there wasn't a preconceived story that is already familiar to the viewers. Still, my hope is there, and I have given the segue to discuss what may now be my favorite graphic novel since Arkham Asylum (illustrated by the great Dave McKean). Though it was written in the 1980's V for Vendetta is a timeless comic series that explores a world where everyone is watched and controlled by an evil Big Brother like entity, until it is challenged by a masked renegade that has his own agenda. Another high recommendation, but I am in fear of how it translates to the screen.