Me and Icarusflies' Rise of the Guardians Review
IT'S REVIEWING TIME!!!
Plot/Storyline
"The movie revolves around the Guardians, a group of holiday figures who protect kids with…um…holidays! It actually makes sense in context, I just don’t want to get into it because it could spoil some stuff. Anyway, the villain, Pitch, is determined to ruin everything. To stop him, the Guardians need to work with Jack Frost, who until then had been a bit of a loner.
So basically it’s a ‘WE NEED TO SAVE X, BY STOPPING Y, WITH HELP FROM Z!’ plot. Oh, and Jack Frost needs to find out his *mysterious past*. But it works."
"Rise of the Guardians, in it's own way, is kind of like a Holiday version of Marvel's The Avengers. But wait- don't start whooping and downplaying the movie yet, because the concept actually works really well! Sure, they could have had more Holiday character cameos, such as the Leprechaun, but as a whole Dreamworks actually pulled it off, and its extremely enjoyable to see a Russian Santa Claus, Australian Easter Bunny, Sandman, Tooth Fairy, and Jack Frost fight against Pitch/The Boogeyman. Also, the concept of a tooth holding in a child's memories is very creative.
All in all, Rise of the Guardians isn't anything special when it comes to plot, but it is nonetheless enjoyable and works well."
Plot/Storyline gets a...
Casting
"Alec Baldwin voices Russian Santa. This movie wins at casting.
Oh, but it also has some other fairly big actors, like Hugh Jackman. He voices the Easter Bunny."
"The Casting in this movie is quite impressive. I didn't even know Alec Baldwin voiced Santa! The characters are believable and likable thanks to their voice actors (except for Sandman who didn't have one, but is still an interesting character). I would have liked to see more cameos though. It had so much potential in that area, but the film althogether was alright in this area."
Casting gets a...
Character Development
"THIS is where the movie really shines! From the beginning, it’s pretty strong with the reimagining of classic holiday figures: Russian Santa, Guerilla Easter Bunny, Really, really huggable Sandman, Hyperactive Tooth Fairy, Fun-Loving Jack Frost. And Pitch, who’s basically the Dreamworks version of Disney’s Hades. I’m not going to complain, Hercules was my favorite when I was a kid. All the characters are a joy to watch, they have a good dynamic. Jack Frost managed to avoid a lot of the whininess his trope of character is often affiliated with. Not too flip-floppy, not unduly whiny, and he does change for the better over the course of the movie."
"I actually genuinely liked the progression of the main cast throughout this story. I won't go in-detail too much since I don't want to spoil it, but a key factor in the film is that if nobody believes in a certain Guardian/Holiday Spirit or what not, then nobody will see you or acknowledge you throughout the world. In the beginning most of the cast (specifically the Easter Bunny) would tease Jack Frost because of his lack of popularity, but as Pitch's plan unravels, we see a strong change in that mind-set. The only major problem I have is the unexplained reason a certain character comes back to life after death, which I didn't get how or why."
Character Development gets a...
Special Effects
"This is an animated movie, so there was no cheesy CGI. Stylistically, it was pretty good for a Dreamworks film. Motion was fluid, and the Nightmare/Dream sand was handled particularly well. There was a lot of attention to detail, and a whole lot of grandiose scenery."
"Dreamworks has always been known to rival and compete with Disney Pixar in terms of animation styles and spectacles, and Rise of the Guardians is no exception. Sure, there are some flaws, such as Santa's workshop not being expanded as it should have been (or I would have wanted), but overall it was executed greatly. The Pitch nightmare vs. Sandman's good dreams was pretty awesome too see (especially vs. the kids)."
Special Effects gets a...
Lasting Appeal
"It was a really enjoyable movie. A lot of fun, I think on it fondly. It wasn’t topical, and wasn’t a ‘holiday’ movie, so it has some lasting value. Also, considering that it’s based on a book series, it has some room to expand."
"Rise of the Guardians is a great (semi) Christmas flick, and has an interesting concept to help it stand out among the other millions of generic Christmas Santa Claus films that are generated by relentless, cold-hearted robots that don't know what a good plot is. Sure, it isn't the greatest Christmas movie, but it is unique enough to leave an imprint in the vast selection of Holiday films."
Lasting Appeal gets a...
The Verdict
"This movie really captures the spirit of each holiday contained within and the roles they play in a child’s world. The animation’s fluid, and the voice acting is excellent. While the plot is a touch generic, the little details are enough to make it worthwhile. This is definitely a movie to go see."
"Overall this movie is pretty good, with some flaws and maybe one or two major flaws that are overshadowed by the other redeeming qualities of this movie. Christmas fans will be delighted by this movie, as well as kids, teenagers, and even some adults."
The Verdict is...
"GREAT FLICK"
