Plot Seen Clear As Day Through These Mirrors

The next movie I will review is "Mirrors" The movie begins as we all meet a security guard running for his life into a locker room. He looks in a large mirror and his reflection cuts it's throat. The security guard collapses bleeding from a real neck wound. Next we meet Ben Carson (Kiefer Sutherland) as he starts his first day of work in a large mall that looks like a federal museum with giant ceilings and Greek columns. The mall burnt and is currently vacant only occupied by some leftovers from the stores mainly mannequins, furniture, and huge mirrors. The mirrors are squeaky clean. We are told the Kiefer's predecessor obsessed about keeping them clean. Ben's life is a mess. Out of a job from the police department, he shot and killed a fellow officer, divorced and in trouble with his lovely wife Amy (Paula Patton) over their two kids, Michael (Cameron Boyce) and Daisy (Erica Gluck), sleeping on his sister Angela's (Amy Smart) couch, and apparently with some type of a prescription drug problem. One night during his rounds at his new job he discovers something odd. A hand print on a mirror. The print can't be removed. It's on the other side of the mirror. He also discovers a flooded basement. Back at home he starts seeing things in the mirror. And starts an investigation into the store, and the security guard who he replaced. He suspects that it is not just in his head as others tell him but that something is not right with this building and the mirrors. It turns out, next to the mall was a hospital where strange treatments took place in the psychiatric unit. As a result of what happened there to a young girl, the mirrors in the mall are trying to convey a message. Kiefer continues with the investigation tracking down the girl. In the meantime the mirrors start attacking his loved ones. There are a couple of twists near the end. Also the end is a surprise. Aja knows how to direct horror and actors. And this movie is nicely photographed and has great camera work. There are a few good scary and gory scenes. And the story itself is good. The only problem I found is that it's too long at nearly two hours and could have used a re-editing for tightness. The mirrors are as much a character as Kiefer, who himself is not a very approachable guy in this movie. Overall a watchable mild horror film that could use either more horror or a few more deleted scenes to make it tighter and more action-packed. I give Mirrors a 2 and on my avoidance scale I also give it a 2. This is the type of stay at home movie, that makes Friday nights better.