Rise of the Guardians
4/4
Starring (voices): Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Jude Law, Isla Fisher, Dakota Goyo
Rated PG for Thematic Elements and Some Mildly Scary Action
When I first saw this movie on iMDb, I was curious. Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, Jack Frost in one movie? Definitely intriguing. Then I saw the cast: Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Jude Law, Isla Fisher...I had to see this movie. When I saw the trailer, I was hooked. I was counting down the days to see this movie for months. Now, after seeing the movie, I was already planning on when I could see it again.
The plot isn't necessarily anything special, but that's really okay. It enhances the dream-like quality of the film. It turns out that Santa (Baldwin), the Easter Bunny (Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (Fisher) and the Sandman (who has no dialogue) are not only real, but when the need arises, they band together to protect the children from evil. In this case, evil comes in the form of Pitch (Law), a nasty entity who is also known as the Boogeyman. He want to stamp out every kids belief in our heroes to take away their power, and instead replace them with himself and his nightmarish armada. But the Man in the Moon (also without a speaking voice) enlists Jack Frost (Pine) to be the fifth Guardian. Of course, the practical jokester Jack Frost doesn't want the job, but with the promise of finding out his past, he leads the fight against Pitch.
"Rise of the Guardians" is a visually dazzling animated film. Outside of "Spirited Away," there hasn't been a movie that looks this incredible. There were a number of times when my jaw dropped at what I was seeing. It's so inventive, colorful and richly detailed that I couldn't help but be in awe at what I was seeing. If only the story held up its end. It's not a bad story, in fact its reasonably involving. But the film rushes through the first act and the rules of what can and can't happen aren't clearly stated early on.
The voice cast is wonderful. No one calls attention to themselves, which is great. Alec Baldwin is unrecognizable as Santa, who is tough and wise. Hugh Jackman appears to be having fun with the role of the Easter Bunny (his line of "I'm a bunny" is pretty funny...I mean, Wolverine saying that defensively? You gotta admit that that's worthy of at least a grin). Isla Fisher is good as the Tooth Fairy, but she's the weakest performer. And Jude Law makes for a surprisingly vicious, not to mention sympathetic, villain.
The real star of the film is Chris Pine. I've been a fan of his for a while, but the part of a kind-hearted jokester plays to Pine's strengths. Jack Frost is funny, a little selfish, but overall lovable. Based on how good he is, it's amazing that he wasn't the first choice for the role (that was Leonardo DiCaprio).
I won't claim that this is the best film of the year, but I guarantee that this is going to be on my Top Ten list, and definitely somewhere near the top.
Starring (voices): Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Jude Law, Isla Fisher, Dakota Goyo
Rated PG for Thematic Elements and Some Mildly Scary Action
When I first saw this movie on iMDb, I was curious. Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, Jack Frost in one movie? Definitely intriguing. Then I saw the cast: Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Jude Law, Isla Fisher...I had to see this movie. When I saw the trailer, I was hooked. I was counting down the days to see this movie for months. Now, after seeing the movie, I was already planning on when I could see it again.
The plot isn't necessarily anything special, but that's really okay. It enhances the dream-like quality of the film. It turns out that Santa (Baldwin), the Easter Bunny (Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (Fisher) and the Sandman (who has no dialogue) are not only real, but when the need arises, they band together to protect the children from evil. In this case, evil comes in the form of Pitch (Law), a nasty entity who is also known as the Boogeyman. He want to stamp out every kids belief in our heroes to take away their power, and instead replace them with himself and his nightmarish armada. But the Man in the Moon (also without a speaking voice) enlists Jack Frost (Pine) to be the fifth Guardian. Of course, the practical jokester Jack Frost doesn't want the job, but with the promise of finding out his past, he leads the fight against Pitch.
"Rise of the Guardians" is a visually dazzling animated film. Outside of "Spirited Away," there hasn't been a movie that looks this incredible. There were a number of times when my jaw dropped at what I was seeing. It's so inventive, colorful and richly detailed that I couldn't help but be in awe at what I was seeing. If only the story held up its end. It's not a bad story, in fact its reasonably involving. But the film rushes through the first act and the rules of what can and can't happen aren't clearly stated early on.
The voice cast is wonderful. No one calls attention to themselves, which is great. Alec Baldwin is unrecognizable as Santa, who is tough and wise. Hugh Jackman appears to be having fun with the role of the Easter Bunny (his line of "I'm a bunny" is pretty funny...I mean, Wolverine saying that defensively? You gotta admit that that's worthy of at least a grin). Isla Fisher is good as the Tooth Fairy, but she's the weakest performer. And Jude Law makes for a surprisingly vicious, not to mention sympathetic, villain.
The real star of the film is Chris Pine. I've been a fan of his for a while, but the part of a kind-hearted jokester plays to Pine's strengths. Jack Frost is funny, a little selfish, but overall lovable. Based on how good he is, it's amazing that he wasn't the first choice for the role (that was Leonardo DiCaprio).
I won't claim that this is the best film of the year, but I guarantee that this is going to be on my Top Ten list, and definitely somewhere near the top.
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