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| Courtesy of DreamWorks |
The
latest from DreamWorks Animation is a story so clever that I’m amazed no one thought
of it before. Rise of the Guardians, based on a series of children’s books by
William Joyce, remodels beloved childhood figures like Santa Claus (Alec
Baldwin), the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher) and
the silent-but-expressive Sandman into an Avengers-like team dedicated to
fighting supernatural evil all over the world. Hey, St. Nick and the big rabbit
need something to do the other 364 days a year.
However,
when the Boogeyman (Jude Law) returns after centuries of exile, the Guardians
find themselves outmatched. Fortunately, the Man in the Moon – the Charlie to
their Angels – has chosen Jack Frost (Chris Pine) to be the newest member of
their team. He’s young, fast and boasts a number of cool powers, but he prefers
to work alone. Now the Guardians must convince Jack to join forces before the
Boogeyman destroys the heroes in a truly terrifying way: by getting the
children of the world to stop believing in them.
DreamWorks
has a spotty track record when it comes to animated films, but fortunately Rise of the Guardians is much closer to How to Train Your Dragon in tone
and imagination than Shrek Forever After. Director Peter Ramsey and
screenwriter David Lindsay-Abaire eschew old catchphrases and bad pop songs in
favor of a compelling narrative, memorable characters, exciting action
sequences and some genuinely tense moments. (Parents of particularly young
children should take the PG rating seriously.)
The
studio still adheres to its philosophy of casting recognizable names, but it
actually works in the movie’s favor this time around instead of taking viewers
out of the story. Baldwin makes a terrific Santa, voicing the gruff, tattooed
hulk of a man with a boisterous Russian accent. Jackman is also enjoyable as
the film’s comic relief, a giant imposing bunny who’s secretly a sweetheart.
I’m sure the actor appreciated the rare chance to work in his natural accent as
well.
Pine
nails the everyman aspect of his character, who serves as the entry point into
this magical world (the flick is clearly intended to be the first chapter of a
franchise), and Law relishes his chance to play the villain without going too
far over the top. Still, I think I enjoyed the Sandman most of all due to his
expressive nature. He never speaks, but you always know what’s on his mind thanks
to some creative animation techniques.
There
are a few overly-cutesy touches (like Santa’s elves that are way too similar to
the Minions in Despicable Me), but overall Rise of the Guardians is a solid
family film that should play well into the Christmas season. Don’t let the
disappointing box office numbers dissuade you from checking it out.
Rise of the Guardians is rated
PG for thematic elements and some mildly scary action.
Grade:
B+
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