The Comedic Fantasy Movie On Netflix You Forgot Starred Armie Hammer
A little over a decade ago, Armie Hammer was just another up-and-coming actor with a couple of impressive appearances in teen-centric CW Network fare (see Veronica Mars, Gossip Girl, and Reaper). That changed in 2010 when the absurdly handsome young star delivered a scene-stealing double performance as the Winklevoss twins in David Fincher's masterful Facebook drama The Social Network. Riding a wave of critical acclaim for his work in the Oscar-winner, the future appeared genuinely wide open for Armie Hammer.
Unfortunately, the next few years proved dicey, to say the least, with the actor booking several high profile gigs, only to see most of them miss the mark with critics and audiences alike. And yes, that includes one of the decade's biggest box office bombs in The Lone Ranger , where he starred opposite Johnny Depp. The talented actor thankfully found his footing, once again, with lauded turns in indie fair like Free Fire (2016) Call Me By Your Name (2017), and Sorry To Bother You (2018), and is currently fronting one of Netflix's biggest 2020 releases in Rebecca.
As it happens, one of his overlooked gems from the early 2010s is getting a lot of attention on Netflix these days, too. That film is 2012's Mirror Mirror, which found the actor portraying the dashing Prince Andrew in a stylish reimagining of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Snow White." Released in the spring of that year, the family-friendly Mirror Mirror proved a delectable, often hilarious feast of fantasy for all who entered its realm upon release. Unfortunately, the $85 million flick failed to break any box office records, via Box Office Mojo, and has been all-but-forgotten in the years since.
That only means Mirror Mirror is ripe for rediscovery. And you can now do just that on Netflix.
Mirror Mirror was a star-studded fantasy directed by one of cinema's legit auteurs
You should know, however, that while Armie Hammer is often front and center in Mirror Mirror, he isn't the star of the show. That honor belonged to another up-and-comer, Lily Collins. And while her name will be known to most these days, in 2012, Collins was a virtual unknown who had just a few less than memorable credits to her name. The young actor's commanding screen presence was more than obvious in Mirror Mirror, though, with Collins delivering what probably should've been a star-making turn opposite an impressive cast of well-established stars.
While Hammer was certainly among those stars, Mirror Mirror was far more notable for giving Julia Roberts the chance to play wicked stepmother to Collins' virtuous Snow White. And though Roberts chews up the scenery throughout the film, Collins more than holds her own against the superstar. Ditto for the likes of Nathan Lane, Sean Bean, and Mare Winningham.
As strong as many of the performance are in Mirror Mirror, the actors are more or less utilized as set decoration throughout, for the egregiously undervalued auteur Tarsem Singh. Don't feel too bad if you don't recognize the name, because most people don't. You really should get familiar with it, though, because Singh has been responsible for some of the most intricately conceptualized, lavishly photographed, and jaw-droppingly beautiful offerings of the past two decades (see The Cell, The Fall, and 2017's stunning Wizard of Oz remake Emerald City).
Singh's penchant for show-stopping visuals is well on display here, too. And combined with the impassioned work of an all-star cast, Singh's singular style makes Mirror Mirror a cinematic treasure worthy of any fantasy lovers queue.