Rise of the Guardians

Before I discuss what I thought of this film, my oldest daughter insists I talk about the film as seen in theaters. She LOVED the animation and when we watched it on Cinemax HD on our large HDTV, it apparently lost a lot according to her. A lot of the wonderful details were lost and the beauty of the film was lost--at least to some extent. Just thought I'd mention this.

As for the film, the plot is quite strange. Among the many fictional characters (though they are real in this film), the Boogeyman is intent on filling the world with awful dreams and driving out all sense of hope or joy. To counter this, Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman all seek out a new guardian--a strange character that will help them fight Mr. Boogey. This character is the hipster-like Jack Frost. Together they do battle to save the children of the world and keep faith in them alive.

Overall, while a gorgeous film, the plot is a bit limp and is more of an excuse to show off the lovely CGI. Not a great movie but worth seeing. I especially liked Alec Baldwin as the Russian version of Santa--what an interesting accent and characterization.

Rise of the Guardians is capable of giving both adults and their kids a wonderful time at the theatre. I am from a culture that does not ascribe to all the characters from this exceptionally beguiling animation nevertheless even I fell for its charm. That goes to say that people from all cultures, irrespective of their age group could walk into the theatre and be amazed at the awakening of their inner child. Jack Frost was my personal favourite in the cartoon and his story is one that could touch your heart. Many might even be able to identify with him and the trouble that plagues him which is resolved at the end of the story- 'to be invisible'to others. The liberty the creators of this animation took with the 'Guardians' especially the way Jack Frost was depicted,was a delight to me because I had always imagined him to be a a old man with a blue sheen to his skin and a wicked glint in his eyes. Jack Frost in the Rise of the Guardians on the other hand- well go catch it at the theatre and you will know what I am talking about. All in all, it is a heart- warming story with non-stop action, certain scenes to get you to crack up and a message that is very much familiar to most of us but still one worth being reminded of- have faith and belief!!!

This movie is magical and utterly charming. In this film DreamWorks did it all exactly right. Every voice is precisely as it should be. Perfection! Chris Pine, Jude Law, Hugh Jackman, too many to list …if you didn't know that was Alec Baldwin doing the Russian accent for Santa, you would never guess it. The characters, all of them, are endearing, totally engaging. Sad moments, glad moments, hilarious moments. I haven't laughed this much in an animated movie since….well, never, actually. As I said, this one is destined to become a classic. A wonderful family movie and best of all it doesn't just appeal to the children, adults will love it too. Every adult in the audience,while I was there, seemed as captivated as the kids. And how many movies do you go to these days where, at the end, people applaud? They did for this one. And rightly so. I know I came out of that theater wishing I could somehow have my own Little Baby Tooth...and the friend I was with wished even more that she could have one of the Feisty Elves. You'll totally understand what I mean after you see this delightful movie. Don't miss this one!

Before the end of the thanksgiving weekend I had with my cousins, I went with my brother to see this particularly in 3D, hoping that it would exceed my expectations as the trailer had promised. Later, after seeing the movie, I couldn't believe that my expectations were raised by not only how interesting it look, but how beautiful it looked. So, are there any flaws? Well, let's just say that there is one for it does drag a bit on the middle, but there isn't anything else to fault this epic adventure with.

Some people may find the story of this movie predictable due to it's good vs evil concept, but for me, I don't think it was that bad. It had it's heart in the right place and has some nice messaging about using your courage and it did got me shedding some tears since it reminded me what it's like to be a child. The dialog is also witty and the script is refreshing and funny. What I also like about the story is how it focused on Jack Frost's origins and how he came to be. I would've like to see the origins on some of the other childhood icons like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Sandman, and the Tooth Fairy, but I think that Dreamworks Animation is saving those for the sequels if they ever make them. The music from Alexandre Desplat is beautiful, tear-jerking, and whimsical and it's orchestra is well done which makes it one of his best music in a feature length film.

There are some other redeeming aspects of the movie. First, there's the characters which are likable in every way. Jack Frost is a charming lead, Nicholas St. North (or Santa Claus) is a bada** character with his Russian accent and has a sleigh machine, the Sandman is silent, but that's what makes him more interesting and his comedic moments is funny, the Tooth Fairy (or Toothiana) is a beautiful female character and the way she explains her ways of getting all of the children's tooth is well thought out, and Bunnymund, the easter bunny, is a great fighter and by the far the most hilarious character that most people would adore. Pitch, however, steals the show and is a great villain thanks to Jude Law's menacing voice-work. In fact, the voice acting for the character is great especially Alec Baldwin who was a great surprise being here. The fight sequences and the chase scenes are not only amazing, but exhilarating, but the strongest aspect goes to the animation.

It's character animation is well inspired and creative, but what stands out the most about the animation is it's visuals. The places are amazing in scope including the North Pole, the Toothfairy's land, Pitch's evil lair, the Easter Bunny's home with the eggs being the highlight and more. Looks like Dreamworks Animation never fails to amuse me with their beautiful animation.

Overall, Rise of the Guardians is by no means a classic and with all of my heart, this deserves some recommendation to those who haven't seen it yet. Go watch it! It's that good just like Disney's Wreck-It Ralph.

This movie is criminally underrated. The idea of binging these mythical characters that we all grew up hearing about/believing in together to form an avengers type team and fight against the boogeyman was pure genius. In the wrong hands, this could've very easily been cheesey or dumb, but the execution is flawless. The voice actors all did a great job and helped make these characters badass and interesting. The action was really well done. There are some legit laugh out loud funny moments. The score is amazing and combined with some incredible visuals will give you a sense of childlike wonder and enjoyment. I haven't seen it in a bit, but i love it just as much now as i did when i first saw it. It's not streaming anywhere atm, but if you haven't seen this movies, definitely seek it out. I can't recommend it enough.