Review of Rise of the Guardians (2012) by Phillip M — 15 Aug 2016

About two thirds of the way into the movie, Rise of the Guardians experiences a bit of a wardrobe change and loses its way for a slight moment. The film goes from fairly light-hearted to dark and brooding in almost the blink of an eye. This isn't the first time this has happened in a movie, but it's hard to overlook when a movie suddenly shifts away from something it was doing so well only to have to reintroduce itself in another tone. Good news, though, that is really the only problem I could find to pick at. That, and I wanted more of Sandy. Can never have enough Sandy!

Rise of the Guardians is the story of our childhood heroes. That's right I'm talking the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, The Sandman, and the jolly old fat one himself Santa Claus. Imagine them fighting together to protect the belief of innocent children against the darkness of the world and you have Rise of the Guardians. Much like Arthur Christmas, the innovation here is marvelous. Each guardian has their own special power that relates to their gift-giving job. For example, Bunny can create holes in the ground by stomping his feet. The helps him get from one place to another quickly and also helps trap enemies when he's in a pinch. As I mentioned before, Sandman, who doesn't say a word the entire movie, is definitely my favorite guardian. Instead of talking, little images appear above his head to express how he's feeling.

A fun movie to watch, especially if you're trying to instill in your kids the beauty of using their imagination. I give it an 86.