Mirage (Original Sin)

It's amazing how the great ones can do so much with so little. Award-winning director Nic Andrews decided to gather some performers and a few friends together to take a two-day trip out to an undisclosed location somewhere in Utah, and this is the result - Mirage, an all-sex vignette DVD that rivals those other well-known big-budget adult movies that put their contract girls in exotic locations. Although this is probably not Andrews' best work to date (I've personally always preferred his features to his vignette material), it sure makes a statement to those who would claim you have to spend a fortune to make good porn these days. As it turns out, all you need is a good idea and a good eye for the erotic - and as it turns out, Andrews offers both in the same package. He's clearly taken the reigns as adult's most interesting and innovative director.

Mirage may have been shot quick and cheap, but the movie looks like one of those week-long productions that studios like to brag about how much effort went into. Andrews has selected his background as carefully as he has selected his performers, and each shot is filled with both erotic and geographic beauty. If the Discovery Channel ever made a promo piece for the adult industry, this would be it.

I recently heard an interview with the king of adult erotic vignettes - Andrew Blake - on why he spends so much time in his movies lingering over the females' bodies instead of just showing hardcore sex. His response was that his movies were as much about worshiping the female form as they were about showing hardcore action - and Nic Andrews seems to be a student of that theory. In each of Mirage's seven sex scenes, we get a few minutes of camera time devoted to showing off the body of the girl(s) in question. Only after teasing us for a while does Andrews let the hardcore version of his scenes begin - it's a great way to arouse the viewer and something far too porn directors bother to do in these types of movies.

Mirage begins with blonde-haired Joelean, who crouches down and rubs herself for a bit before masturbating with a glass dildo. She is then joined by Cheyne Collins who - after a bit of mutual oral - penetrates her in the reverse cowgirl position, followed by some standing doggy which concludes with a pop-shot onto Joelean's ass.

Making sure to give viewers a nice mix of both girl/girl and boy/girl action, Scene Two showcases box cover girl Brittney Skye and the equally-cute Nadia Styles. Brittney does some solo-masturbation before Nadia shows up, then when Nadia arrives she fingers and licks Brittney and then allows Brittney to shove a glass dildo up inside of her. Nadia returns the favor later in the scene, taking a glass dildo and sliding it in and out of Brittney as she faces away from Nadia in the doggy position.

Fans of the extremely-cute Haley Paige will be glad to hear that Andrews has included her talents in Mirage, but sadly only for a solo scene in which Haley poses in front of a nearby river and uses a glass dildo on herself. Then it's back to boy/girl action as Cheyne Collins returns to fuck Felix Vicious in what I felt was Mirage's most visually appealing sex scene. Cheyne pounds young Felix missionary and then gives it to her up against a rock in the standing doggy position. The scene concludes with Cheyne unloading a huge amount of cum onto Felix's face - and it's his impressive pop-shot that makes this scene one of Mirage's best.

Sitting atop a rock overlooking a river and wearing a black corset and a pair of black boots, Nadia Styles looks stunning as she plays with herself during the beginning of Scene Five. She's soon joined by Barrett Blade for action that includes reverse cowgirl, missionary and standing doggy. Barrett finishes off by jerking his load onto Nadia's face.

Joelean and Felix Vicious return for the next-to-last scene, which is a girl/girl encounter between the two that takes place on the edge of a river. Once again, we see some glass dildo use in the scene, as each girl takes turns using a toy on the other.

Brittney Skye is back to close out Mirage - teaming with Barrett Blade for a very nice coupling in which the two make out in the cowgirl and standing doggy positions (including some standing "scissors" where Barrett holds Brittney's left leg up while he's ramming in and out of her). Barrett aims his pop-shot toward Brittney's chest - cumming mostly on her right breast.

Viewers may want to note that like most vignette releases of this type, the actors "moans and groans" are not heard, and we get a musical background for the action. While this is an artistic choice by the director, it's probably also due to the fact that titles shot in such locations don't pick up great audio anyway - meaning that any moans or groans would need to be dubbed if a choice was made to put them in (and therefore meaning they wouldn't be "real" anyway). But knowing that some viewers don't like to watch sex without hearing the real reactions of the performers, it's my duty to point out that viewers won't be getting that here.

Extras on the Mirage disc include an entertaining (albeit a bit too short) 10-minute behind the scenes featurette that details the making of the movie - the highlight of which is the cast doing a bit of a Blair Witch spoof for the video camera. Those who enjoy photo galleries will get more than their fill here, as Original Sin has included over 200 photos in three separate galleries - one full of glamour shots, one full of sex shots, and one with behind the scenes photos. There's also a selection of trailers - including the one for Mirage, as well as some Production Notes and an advertisement for Phallix sex toys (which provided all the toys used in Mirage).

If you're a viewer who loves the kind of lavish visuals seen in a release from Andrew Blake's Studio-A or perhaps a collector of the Island Fever releases from Digital Playground, Mirage will be a movie you'll want to add to your collection. It's geared toward those adult fans who desire well-shot, stylized sex set against beautiful backgrounds.