Rated
PG (Thematic Elements and Some Mildly Scary Action)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 37 Minutes
Cast
(voice)-
Chris
Pine-Jack Frost
Alec
Baldwin-Nicholas St. North/Santa Claus
Isla
Fisher-Toothiana the Tooth Fairy
Hugh
Jackman-E. Aster Bunnymund
Jude
Law-The Boogeyman/Pitch Black
Dakota
Goyo-Jamie Bennett
Georgie
Grieve-Sophie Bennett
Dominique
Grund-Cupcake
Khamani
Griffin-Caleb
Kamil
McFadden-Claude
Jacob
Bertrand-Monty
Directed
by Peter Ramsey
 |
| GUARDIANS ASSEMBLE! |
A
group of mythical childhood figures coming together in an Avengers/Justice
League-style team-up to protect the children of the world from harm? Why hasn't
anyone ever thought of that idea before?! This is the premise behind DreamWorks
Animation's "Rise of the Guardians," based on William Joyce's book
series The Guardians of Childhood and
his 2011 short film, "The Man in the Moon." Joyce may have made a
name for himself writing and illustrating children's books but he's had quite a
career working behind-the-scenes in a number of high-profile animation films,
including the original "Toy Story" and "A Bug's Life" for
Pixar. He also won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film with Brandon
Oldenburg for 2011's "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris
Lessmore." Belief in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy have always been an
intrinsic part of childhood and "Rise of the Guardians," the last
animated film to be distributed by Paramount Pictures, aims to invoke that same
sense of wonder that came with believing in such figures. In this regard, the
film is a runaway success thanks to some wildly imaginative and beautiful 3D
visuals that make up for its derivative storyline.
Trapped at the bottom of a
frozen lake, young Jack Frost (Chris Pine) is awakened by the Man in the Moon
and is given the ability to control snow, frost, and ice through a wooden
magical staff. However, Frost remembers nothing of his former life and
discovers that he is invisible to everyone else, as if he never existed. Three
hundred years later, Frost finds himself in an American suburban town, where he
causes all kinds of snowy mischief and makes a connection with a little boy
named Jamie Bennett (Dakota Goyo). Despite his carefree attitude, Frost leads a
lonely life and longs to be seen by others. Meanwhile at the North Pole, Santa
Claus (Alec Baldwin) encounters a malevolent presence known as the Boogeyman
(Jude Law), who seeks to replace all children's dreams with horrible
nightmares. To combat this threat, Santa assembles the Guardians, which include
E. Aster Bunnymund (Hugh Jackman), Toothiana the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), and
the Sandman. They consult with the Man in the Moon about a new Guardian, who
happens to be Jack Frost (much to the team's surprise). Although he initially
refuses to join, Frost decides to fight alongside the Guardians when he learns
that Tooth can cure his amnesia. At the same time, the Boogeyman begins to
wreck havoc on the world by making sure no children believe in the Guardians,
which is their source of power.
Contrary to what the title says, "Rise of
the Guardians" is not about how the Guardians came together. Instead, it
focuses on Jack Frost and his struggle to find his purpose in life and who he
was before he was given his powers. This is a smart move as the script (written
by "Rabbit Hole" playwright David Lindsay-Abaire) takes inspiration
from Joyce's books but isn't bound by them, allowing children who like the film
to seek out the source material on their own accord. The story is a standard
hero's journey tale and hits all the expected beats, with Frost initially
reluctant to step into his new role as a Guardian. He's the classic rebel
without a cause. A few wrinkles are added to provide some measure of depth but
the path that Frost chooses is never in question, even when he is tempted by
the Boogeyman. Still, it's a tightly wound, if predictable, package that
delivers a lot of action (fluidly directed by Peter Ramsey) and a sense of
grandeur thanks to Alexandre Desplat's score. While there are some laughs to be
had, the tone is surprisingly serious and the few comedic moments in the film
are aimed squarely at children with the Minion-like elves. The script may not
reach Pixar's best due to its lack of originality yet "Rise of the
Guardians" succeeds thanks to the intricate world that the CG animators
have created. Sure, it's flashy but there's a passion behind the visuals that
invokes a sense of wonder and is by far one of the best-looking CG animated
films this year. Hiring cinematographer Roger Deakins to consult was a
brilliant move on Ramsey's part as every frame is just beautiful. Each of the
Guardians' homes is lovingly crafted, from Santa's retro-futuristic workshop to
the Easter Bunny's Warren, a hidden oasis guarded by eight-foot-tall stone eggs
called Sentinels. The standout is the Tooth Palace, where the hummingbird-like
fairies collect the teeth, which contain a child's memories, and store them in
marked drawers, essentially preserving a part of our child-like selves. As for
the 3D, it looks great and there's a nice sense of depth to the image,
especially when it comes to the particle effects like snowflakes and dreamsand.
All of these mythical characters have been re-imagined yet look familiar at the
same time. Santa Claus (appropriately nicknamed 'North') speaks in a heavy
Russian accent, has the words 'Naughty' and 'Nice' tattooed on his arms and
wields two falchions. Bunnymund resembles a kangaroo and uses boomerangs as
offensive weapons. However, it is the Sandman that impresses, sprinkling his
dreamsand through the air in large, river-like streams of imagination while
communicating through images conjured above his head. "Rise of the
Guardians" has a lot of charm, if not exactly wit but family audiences
will find it hard not to get swept up by the gorgeous visuals.
The voice cast
is excellent with one exception. Chris Pine grounds Jack Frost with a
charismatic hotheadedness yet also a sense of loneliness. It's not a flashy
role compared to the others but it suits the character just fine. Alec Baldwin
is virtually unrecognizable as a heavily Russian-accented Santa Claus while Isla
Fisher brings a cute, flighty demeanor to the Tooth Fairy. As the bold and
brash Easter Bunny, Hugh Jackman is clearly having a lot of fun and it's a role
that fits him like a glove. Finally, there's Jude Law as the Boogeyman and
while there's nothing specifically wrong with his voice-work, he doesn't quite
capture the necessary menace of the character. You could say that it is merely
competent.
"Rise of the Guardians" will be released on November 21,
2012 and has so far received mixed reviews with 67% on Rotten Tomatoes. I have
a feeling it'll garner a similar reception to "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most
Wanted," also from DreamWorks Animation. The audience at yesterday's
advance screening (which required me to wake up at 6:30 in the morning) was
quite enthusiastic about the film, especially the children (not a surprise). To
see all these characters together was probably a dream come true for them!
Despite the crowded release date, the film will be the prime choice for
families and will receive a bump at the weekend box office since most children
will be off for Thanksgiving break. The story fails to take any risks but
"Rise of the Guardians" remains an above-average animated film that
boasts an energetic voice cast and some of the best 3D visuals of the year.
This is definitely a world that's worth revisiting in a sequel.
Final
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
"It
is our job to protect the children of the world. For as long as they believe in
us, we will guard them with our lives..."
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