Review of Rise of the Guardians (2012) by Zal — 23 Dec 2012

I wished I liked this movie more. Honestly, it was a mixed bag. On the upside, the animation and designs of the characters and settings were unbelievably creative (especially the Tooth Fairy). All of the different worlds were stunning, including the villain's lair. I also like how Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, and Sandman were re-imagined. My favorite character would have to be Russian Santa voiced by, get this, Alec Baldwin.

However, there were many noticeable flaws. The story was kind of generic. It's the typical "you just gotta believe" message. Also, I couldn't get into Jack Frost. He's not a bad character by any means, but he wasn't a strong or interesting enough character to be the main focus of the film and it's especially more obvious when you see just how inventive the rest of the characters were. As for the villain, I wanted to like him, but...urgh. He wasn't that intimidating and he came across as very prissy.

Overall, this movie was fine. There was definitely a lot of effort put into this film and for a first time director, it was really good. It just could have used some major changes in the story. This wasn't the best kids movie to come out this year, but it was satisfying enough. If you're an animation fan, check it out.