Rise of the Guardians

Welcome to another episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!

Today's review is Rise of the Guardians.

Directed by Peter Ramsey.

Written by David Lindsay-Abaire.

Based on the book "The Guardians of Childhood" written by William Joyce

Review #191

MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements and some mildly scary action.

Run Time: 97 min

Cast

Chris Pine...Jack Frost (voice)

Alec Baldwin...North (voice)

Jude Law...Pitch (voice)

Isla Fisher...Tooth (voice)

Hugh Jackman...Bunny (voice)

Dakota Goyo...Jamie Bennett (voice)

Santa Claus, The Tooth Fairy, The Easter Bunny, The Sandman and Jack Frost. At some point in your lives, you believed in some or all of these characters. In one form or another. These characters have become necessities in children's lives. Of course commercialism has tainted the actual power these characters truly wield.

Rise of the Guardians wonderfully reminds you of the true purpose they serve.

Belief.

Plot

When the evil spirit Pitch launches an assault on Earth, the Immortal Guardians team up to protect the innocence of children all around the world. 

Belief is a very powerful thing. It can shape the way a child or adult for that matter will act for the rest of their lives. This is the main staple of Rise of the Guardians. The belief in the existence of the the good guys and the bad guys as well. What makes this film work so well is not just it's message and visual majesty. It's the "adjustment" to the look and feel of the main characters.

Have you ever thought of Santa Cluas as a dual sword wielding Russian? How about The Easter Bunny as a boomerang tossing warrior? These were some of the changes made to these classic characters and they all worked to perfection. The guardians are employed to protect children's belief in them. If that belief is threatened then what better response is there but to fight for it and them.

This looked like a very crazy and risky concept but the writers did the smart thing and maintained each characters core components. No matter how different they look, sound or act we all still know who they are because we are given the chance to see all of them in their natural "habitat". It keeps their spirits alive and makes sure that you never forget what they are all about. I really wished I could get deeper into the characters but that would divulge some big story points so I have no choice but to stop here. Rest assured that everything with these figures fit like a glove. It makes this film no pun intended.

Magical.

As always, the animation is stellar and full of excitement. I thankfully saw this in 2D so I have no idea what the 3D version had to offer but I got a pretty good idea. Rise of the Guardians is full of fast and furious action that doesn't involve violence or fighting. There are quite a few scenes that has sweeping camera moves and POV flying. It was a treat to watch. I could tell that the 3D version would have made great use of these actions. This was another plus the film makers deserve credit for. Clearly they followed the source material and realized that if they were going to make this in detestable 3D. It was vital to take full advantage of the gimmick and give the audience their money's worth.

Rise of the Guardians is a fantastic, enchanting, wonderful film that the kids should love. It feels more like a Christmas film but releasing it just before Thanksgiving is just as good. The holiday feel is throughout this one. See this one.

You will believe again.

On the 5 star scale. Rise of the Guardians gets 4 stars with a "Worth Every Penny!" recommendation.

That's a wrap for today. Up next is Lincoln.

Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"

"D"