Fantasy is one of the trickiest genres to pull off on the silver screen. What begins as an imaginative tale filled with fantastic worlds in the mind of a filmmaker can easily transform into something incredibly goofy once the cameras start to roll. It all depends on how the material is approached. In the case of  MirrorMask, viewers are lucky to have two artisans like director Dave McKean and writer Neil Gaiman working to make sure their project remains the same trippy, yet visually-dazzling experience from beginning to end.

Helena (Stephanie Leonidas), a girl in her early teens, has  spent most of her life performing in a circus troupe run by her parents (Gina McKee and Rob Brydon). With the onset of womanhood comes a rebellious streak, as Helena starts thinking about abandoning her current life for something more "normal." However, tragedy strikes when her mother suffers a mysterious illness, and Helena finds her only means of coping is being magically transported to a world she's created in her drawings. This is indeed a strange land, populated by masked humans, vicious cats with human faces, and books that literally fly off of their shelves. Unfortunately, Helena has arrived in the middle of war between her world's light and dark sides, with the queen of the latter side (also played by McKee) slowly covering the whole land in shadows as she searches for her missing daughter (who, in all this insanity, has taken Helena's place back in reality). The only way to stop her is to recover a missing charm and wake up the Queen of Light. So Helena, with a morally questionable companion named Valentine (Jason Barry), heads off into this weird world of her own creation, bent on finding the charm before the darkness catches up to her.

What's the best way to describe MirrorMask? Well, it's like  McKean and Gaiman got together, watched Labyrinth, smoked some pretty potent stuff, then wrote down what they remembered. MirrorMask bears a little resemblance to that '80s fantasy favorite (which also benefitted from creatures created by the Jim Henson Company), in the sense that both films revolve around a spirited girl who goes from facing the pressures of growing up in the real world to taking charge of a quest in a bizarre kingdom. Essentially, these films are road movies -- but they tend to make much weirder stops. Thus, despite a predictable cap-off to all the events at hand, MirrorMask finds its success in doing an incredible job of taking the viewer on a journey designed to entertain the eyes. It engages its audience in a storybook kind of way, spinning   an intriguing yarn about finding balance within ourselves in the chaotic world of growing up.

McKean and Gaiman (creator of the cult graphic novel series "The Sandman") are unique artists. They devised a faded visual scheme for this film that resembles an experimental silent movie with sound added. Accomplished with the same technology used to put Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow in the middle of a 1930's adventure in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, the blending of live actors with a setting that's not really there is done flawlessly here. The actors hold up very well considering the trippiness of the production, with a charming lead performance from Leonidas, a solid turn from Barry as a guy whose loyalties can turn on a dime but who still remains likeable, and McKee churning out not one but three roles, bringing just the right touches to her appearances as Helena's mother and both the light and dark queen.

Combined with the sheer randomness of Helena's self-made universe, turning up unexpected discoveries and strange dialogue with every turn (from slow-speaking giants orbiting in the sky to a fruit that tells the future when eaten), MirrorMask can seem a little chaotic, out-there, and a tad unorganized at times, but there's never a dull moment. Even when it becomes a little too goofy for its own good, the film maintains its keen knack for displaying offbeat visuals.  MirrorMask emerges as a pleasing and entertaining effort for those who prefer something off the beaten path.

MY RATING: *** (out of ****)

(Released by Sony Pictures and rated "PG" for some mild thematic elements and scary images.)