Rise of the Guardians (2012)
***viewed in 3D***
Featuring the voice talents of Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher, and Jude Law
Directed by Peter Ramsey
First off, it must be mentioned that this is not a Christmas movie. Yes, Santa is in it (although the not-quite-so-jolly guy is known as "North"), but it's not his story and it's not Noel-centric at all. In fact, the tale takes place three days before Easter and while we see North in his residence, this isn't a film about him or the December holiday. I say that not as a criticism at all, but simply as a way of countering the expectations that you would likely have had going into this. I will admit that it threw me a bit off balance at first.
Trouble is afoot for the Guardians, an Avengers-like group of childhood bigwigs -- Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), and the Sandman (a lovely Chaplin-esque voiceless character) -- who discover that the evil Pitch (AKA The Boogeyman voiced by Jude Law) is stealing the lovely dreams Sandman places into the minds of children and replacing them with nightmares. Unable to defeat Pitch on their own, The Man in the Moon (who is essentially a faceless and voiceless omnipotent God) sends Jack Frost the guardians' way, hoping that he can help take down Pitch. Jack (voiced by Chris Pine) doesn't necessarily want to join the exclusive club. Unlike his Guardian counterparts, he's rather youthful and gets his kicks from making it snow which he realizes isn't exactly as exciting to a kid as Santa or the Easter Bunny. However, before he can even walk away from the group, Jack and his fellow Guardians are forced to chase after Pitch who, having already stepped in on the Sandman's turf, has now ransacked the lair of the Tooth Fairy. As children across the world begin to stop believing in the Guardians, their special powers start to weaken and they must join forces to defeat Pitch.
[Fairly obvious spoiler ahead if you've watched any kid movie ever...]
There's a great premise here based off of William Joyce's series of books, but while the film starts off plenty fine, it doesn't come to any form of satisfying conclusion. There are some great moments when Pitch faces off against the Guardians during the middle of the film -- moments that were truly exciting and tense -- but the film ends with such a thud that it nearly negates all the build-up. Ultimately, I simply couldn't buy in to the corny and hokey way Pitch is defeated in the end. The notion that childhood fantasies and dreams could in some way save the day rang false and provided an incredibly disappointing finale. Add to that an incredibly corny "find your center" chakra-esque mission for Jack Frost to "discover who he really is" and hokeyness was the name of the game.
[End Spoilers.]
Design-wise, the film looks great with an admittedly different look than we've come to expect from computer-animated films. The lines are a little more sharp and the characters are a bit more anime-esque than we're used to seeing which is a positive (and this is coming from someone who cares not a bit for the anime style of animation). Also, the film has a great villain in Pitch, voiced to perfection by Jude Law. While it would have been nice to see a bit more malevolence from the character, he is far and away the best part of the movie...it's just a shame that his evil power grows a bit repetitive as the film progresses.
But, Rise of the Guardians just doesn't come together in the end, not quite managing to make the most of the most popular figures in childhood lore.
The RyMickey Rating: C+
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