Rise of the Guardians

 

In Rise of the Guardians, we learn that childhood mythical figures like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and the Sandman are actually a strongly united team of heroes who use their powers to protect children, and their innocent dreams.  Sure, I'll believe that.  Even better, the movie takes this idea fairly seriously, and tries to be a fantasy adventure for older children, rather than a comedy.  It succeeds, and is highly entertaining, even for adults.

One thing I appreciated is that the filmmakers give us some slightly different takes on these popular legends.  Santa (voiced by Alec Baldwin) is quite massive, and somewhat imposing.  He even has the words "Naughty" and "Nice" tattooed onto each muscular arm.  He speaks with a thick Russian accent, and commands an army of Yetis, as well as his elves.  The Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher) looks like a cross between a woman and a hummingbird, and has a vast army of tiny fairies (her baby teeth) to help her out.  The Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman) is six feet tall, can run like The Flash, and wields dual boomerangs in battle.  Finally, the Sandman (who is mute) is literally made up out of his own magical sand, and can use it to create just about anything he needs, from a dinosaur to an airplane.  All four of these Guardians answer to the Man in the Moon, who watches over the world, and alerts them when danger is present.

As the film opens, the four heroes learn of an impending threat to the children of the world, and that a fifth Guardian will soon join them.  The threat, in question, is Pitch (Jude Law) a shadowy figure who is the literal Boogeyman, who plans to replace all of the childrens' dreams with nightmares so that they will believe in him again, and he will obtain the power he once held during the dark ages of superstition.  As for the fifth Guardian who will join their latest battle, it is revealed to be Jack Frost (Chris Pine).  Jack is the rebel who has no interest in hero work.  He'd prefer to travel the world, creating snow days, freezing lakes, and generally having fun.  But when the four main Guardians begin to lose their power due to Pitch causing the children of the world to not believe in them, Jack must become a reluctant hero who will fight for the kids, and confront a mysterious past that he has no memory of until it threatens to resurface.

Jack serves as the emotional center in the story, as he has grown quite lonely, being invisible to children and all.  He has no memories of his past before he became the frost spirit that he is today, nor does he remember how be became this way.  When the truth is finally revealed, it's kind of touching.  Outside of the character of Jack, Rise of the Guardians is a fast-paced and imaginative adventure film, with a beautiful visual design.  The individual worlds that the Guardians call home (they warp to Earth via portals that they can create) are well drawn and full of detail.  You almost wish the movie would slow down a little and let us truly explore these worlds.  Perhaps the sequels that will inevitably come if this film proves successful will let us more into the worlds of the other Guardians, since this is mainly Jack's movie.

And like the best animated films, the celebrity voice cast does not interfere with or overpower the story being told.  Baldwin, adopting a thick Russian accent, in particular is almost unrecognizable as a Santa who is more a merry warrior, than a jolly old elf.  Jackman gets some of the film's more genuine laughs and one liners as an Easter Bunny who is anything but cute and fluffy.  And while Chris Pine and Isla Fisher do little to disguise their voices, they don't really need to, and each bring the right turn to their voice acting.  As for the Guardians themselves, they're great characters, who will hopefully spin off future adventures. (Either in films, or the book that inspired this movie.) I kind of like the idea of these characters banding together to protect childhood dreams and beliefs.  My only wish is that if there is a sequel, the Sandman gets more to do.  He was underused this time around, and I was intrigued by his abilities, and wanted to see more of them.

 

Rise of the Guardians is joining a crowded family market as the holidays approach, but it's strong enough to stand out on its own.  Despite the presence of Santa and the holiday-themed ad campaign, this really isn't a Christmas movie. (It's actually set around the Bunny's holiday.) But, I don't see it being a problem with kids, as the film is filled with enough imagination and adventure to keep them enthralled.

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!

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