Review of The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018) by Ryan N — 10 Nov 2018

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018).

Rating: PG.

Directed by Lasse Halstrom and Joe Jonston.

Starring Mackenzie Foy, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Keira Knightley and Jack Whitehall etc.

Overall rating 41/100.

Let me begin with the unfortunately few positives of the Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Firstly I think the main thing that stood out in a positive way for me was the undeniably impressive visuals, bringing surrealism to its brightest. Also the other main positive aspect about this movie would be its Tim Burton inspired set pieces and atmosphere, Ranging from odd clowns in a circus to a massive mouse monster; The Nutcracker certainly goes for uniqueness with its tone and sets. Furthermore In true Disney style its ideologies and overall theme of family does offer a sweet message to the audience of always being there for each other and believing ln yourself.

Unfortunately I have to now dive into what brings this movie down into forgettable mediocrity. Lets start with one of the few main issues with this movie, it's narrative. This is split into two parts, Firstly the issue of the use of sugar plum (Keira Knightley) as the villain. Regrettably I feel that she just shouldn't of been the antagonist as she played Claras companion far to well. It never connected or felt right. On the other hand Mother Ginger ( Helen Mirren) should of been (like she was first portrayed) the villain. This would have created and provided more entertainment and suspense for the film due to her menacing look, Instead I felt that the choice of villain provided an underwhelming attempt of a plot twist.

Secondly I would like to add that the narrative overall felt very slow and clunky. The beginning and middle was blended together to much. When we eventually got to the end half of the film, I was left feeling bored and in need of something out of the ordinary and exciting to happen! However when there was some action in the last half of the film it was extremely underwhelming, disappointing and didn't bring the deserved climatic ending. The solution and defeat of the enemies seemed too predictable and required little effort. Therefore I feel that the negatives outweigh the positives for this film.

I also feel that the plot was slow and never got out of 1st gear. The impressive visuals were a distraction for the lack of actual depth to what was going on (which in all fairness was not a lot). There wasn't any shocks or surprises and it felt generic and underwhelming.

Finally I feel that all the actors did well with what they had. I am especially highlighting Morgan freeman and Jack Whitehall who offered a nice blend of wisdom and humour. However my biggest issue is with the main character Clara (Mackenzie Foy). This is in no way a criticism towards her acting ability but her character just didn't seem to connect with me. I feel that this is due to the poor script she was given, the use of so many corny lines got my eyes rolling! This effected her character as a whole as I could not take her seriously.

Overall, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms can be a visual escape for a younger audience and most older audiences, but it is so flawed in the main parts a film needs that it turned into a forgettable mediocre film. I feel that this will unfortunately go down as Disney's worst live actions despite its sweet intentions.

By Ryan Nixon ( aged 17).