Well, the good news is: Roger Ebert is not a big fat idiot.

The bad news is: Roger Ebert is not a big fat idiot.

MirrorMask is airing at a single theatre in Toronto this week, and Oz only knows if it’s still going to be there after this Friday. When The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra came out in Toronto, I missed it on the opening weekend, which, it turned out, was the only weekend. I didn’t make the same mistake this time. I’d been looking forward to this movie ever since I heard about it.

It was… okay.

The story treads — okay, I almost wrote “trads” there, which may have been either a typo or a Freudian slip. The story (did it again!) treads very traditional ground, well-worn by the ruby slippers of Labyrinth, Alice in Wonderland, and The Wizard of You-Know-Where. Of course, she woke up and it had all been a dream, but it was a very dangerous dream that went right to the heart of who she was, and she might not have been the same person when she woke up. The storyline is scattered with plot coupons (collect all five, and win a happy ending), but that’s very much in the nature of a quest story.

It’s the details that make it worth watching. The music is a bizarre jazz-fusion mix that very nearly out-weirds the soundtrack of Ravenous. The actors do very well at bringing out the off-beat humour of the script; witness the Prime Minister’s reaction as he apologetically but firmly tells a hopeful citizen that no, this isn’t the magic charm that will wake the Queen, it’s actually half a brick, but thank you kindly and better luck next time. Or Valentine’s desperate attempt to explain his riddle to a bewildered sphynx, or his horrified reaction when he sees a glimpse of his future.

It’s a little bit twisted and a little bit creepy and a whole lot of haunting, and that’s exactly what a good children’s story should be. I’d give it three stars out of four, rather than the two that Roger gave it; it’s a good movie, but it’s not better than just good, and it’s certainly not great. Personally, depending on the kid, I might even recommend it over The Wizard of Oz, except that children really need to see The Wizard of Oz in order to be primed for the musical Wicked, which is utterly brilliant and nothing at all to do with this review. Check MirrorMask out, if you get a chance. And hello there, whoever you are in Mimico. If I upgrade to SiteMeter Plutonium I’ll be able to see inside your house.