Rise of the Guardians
is the Avengers of holiday icons. Based on a series of novels by William Joyce,
the film sees Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), the
Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), and the silent Sandman join forces as protectors of
children all over the world. They are needed once more with the return of their
nemesis, Pitch Black (Jude Law), colloquially known as the Bogeyman. Pitch has
become more powerful than ever after gaining the ability to turn dreams into
nightmares.
To defeat Pitch, the Guardians must recruit a new member
into the fold, Jack Frost (Chris Pine), a free-spirited prankster whose
interests lie solely in snowball fights than crusading for the forces of good.
The Guardians derive their powers from the belief of children and they weaken
when that belief unravels. Almost nobody believes in Jack, thus making him a
disembodied spirit to the world.
Dreamworks Animation has really stepped up their game in the
last couple years to close in on the gap between them and Pixar. Part of their
efforts includes hiring Guillermo Del Toro as executive producer and Roger
Deakins as a visual consultant. The animation is a colorful feast for the eyes
although the 3D effects don't amount to much aside from snowflakes floating out
of frame. First-time director Peter Ramsey crafts several thrilling action
sequences beginning with a wild sled ride through the streets and a raucous
scene in which the Guardians assist Tooth in collecting teeth. Sandman and
Pitch inventively use sand particles to create various objects, a power akin to
Green Lantern.
The script by playwright David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole) is rather formulaic with
Jack's character arc following the basic hero's journey. The film tries hard to
rekindle those dying embers of childhood wonder before kids were glued to
iPhones and Playstations. However, discovering Santa wasn't real always seemed
like a rite of passage, a first step into adulthood, instead of a traumatic
experience. Plus, the Sandman and the Tooth Fairy have usually been placed on
the low end of the pantheon. Are there kids still desperately clinging to the
idea that a giant rabbit hands out eggs every Easter? Had they been as cool as
they are depicted in Guardians,
children would be ready to believe.
Joyce has creatively re-imagined familiar characters in
unfamiliar ways. Santa is now a boisterous Russian Cossack with 'Naughty' and
'Nice' tattooed on his forearms. He has an army of Yetis building the toys in
his workshop while lame-brained elves scurry about ala the Minions in Despicable Me. The Easter Bunny is now
E. Aster Bunnymund, a rough and tumble Aussie voiced by a pitch perfect Hugh
Jackman. Despite wielding a pair of boomerangs, he still has the skittish side
of a fluffy rabbit. Tooth is a hyper energetic hummingbird-type fairy with an
armada of cute little fairies to do her bidding.
Rise of the Guardians
won't go down as a classic, but it's handsomely animated and set to a beautiful
score by Alexandre Desplat.
Rating: *** (*****)
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