Rise of the Guardians (2012) Reviews

• Truly the most wonderful movie I have ever seen

  writeherrerajc2012-11-23

  I am 24 year old fairly macho male,but I love animated movies. Me and my wife went and saw this movie on date night and hands down best Christmas movie of all times. It was full of wonderment,amazement and magic.I teared up at least 4 different times during the movie. It made me feel like a kid again it made me believe. I found myself gasping and laughing at the same parts as the the 3 year old little girl sitting 3 seats away was and any movie that can do that is worth seeing. best holiday movie of all times. I am the wife :) and I found the movie to be equally moving and evoked emotions about the holidays and that I hadn't felt since I was a child. This may seem like a simple children's movie, but it is so much more than that if you really allow yourself to feel the characters. :) I hope you and your family enjoy the movie as much as we did!

• A Nutshell Review: Rise of the Guardians

  DICK STEEL2012-11-22

  I thought I was probably in a period of time where it would be difficult to sit back and enjoy what is an animated film aimed squarely at kids, but I was indeed surprised by how Rise of the Guardians, based upon The Guardians of Childhood series created by William Joyce, actually encapsulated all the good stuff, from quality of animation, voice casting and to characterization that was pretty basic but good fun. There are many in the same class of late that tried to be too intellectual, but by keeping things simpler, and never forgetting the fun element, Rise of the Guardians stand out from the pack, and dare I say one of the most enjoyable animated movies of the year. This is the story of a new Guardian, Jack Frost (voiced by Chris Pine), who's about to join the ranks of other luminaries such as Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), The Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman) and very silent Mr Sandman, all of whom thrive in today's world being the beacon of hope, and everything good, to all the little children of the world. Chosen by The Man in the Moon, the Guardians and the children form a very symbiotic relationship, that the chosen few are there to safeguard the well being of the young, while the latter fuel the powers of the Guardians through sheer belief in their existence. Lose one, and you lose the other side quite quickly. The narrative develops at breakneck pace, with introduction to the Guardians, their abilities, and the threat from arch enemy Pitch Black (Jude Law) being the boogeyman personified, thriving on fear and nightmares, and hell bent on snuffing out hope and joy amongst the children. There's a running theme of being alone, and forgotten, that pops up every now and then, being the common thread between antagonist, and the new kid on the block, who is confused as to who he is, and what his destiny lies ahead. It's somewhat of a zero to hero story, about finding one's purpose and calling in life, and the making of sacrifices to get there. Wholesome themes somewhat, for young ones to be able to sit through and enjoy. We would already be very familiar with the many main characters such as Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy, Sandman and Easter Bunny, but what Rise of the Guardians managed to do, is to introduce a little spin of fresh air into these characters, making them unique yet retaining many of their iconic traits that make them who they are. This is something I'd really liked, and had kept me engaged, eagerly waiting for yet another surprise to pop up now and then. Santa Claus complete with tattoos, swords and a thick Russian accent? The Tooth Fairy who is part hummingbird? The Easter Bunny as Australian and with something kept up the sleeve by the story tellers for the final act, and how about The Sandman who's a lot more powerful than he looks? And they offer a lot more in terms of abilities, cause and what they bring to the table, limited only by the powers of the filmmakers' imagination. It's preaching fun, and never to lose sight of having a little fun in life, and the movie walked the talk by filling itself with plenty of side gags, contributed by the many supporting acts each established Guardian came with, such as Santa's tiny elves, and Tooth Fairy's lovelorn fairies who swoon at the presence of Jack Frost, for his perfect pearly whites of course. You'll never look at Santa's lodge and elves in the same way ever again, nor will you at the Tooth Fairy's and Easter Bunny's operations. These unique perspectives, seen and told through the eyes of the protagonist Jack Frost, makes it a journey that we're emotionally vested into from the start, right until the end, and to me they did not disappoint a bit. While I hadn't watched this in 3D or IMAX versions, there are enough set action pieces that tried to exploit these formats, which I suppose either format would have enveloped the viewer and provided a more vivid experience, especially with characters being made to pursue and battle each other in the air, or the numerous extravaganza moments where the prowess of the characters will wow. The quality of animation is superb and is the score contributed by Alexandre Desplat, and again, the simple tale, its treatment and development, are refreshing in not biting off more than it can chew. Director Peter Ramsey has now launched his career with a very solid delivery of a film for children, and balanced this appeal for the adults as well. I'm already all for a sequel should one be created, but as a standalone, this one is definitely for keeps. Highly recommended!

• A Movie Destined To Become A Classic!

  patsworld2012-11-30

  This movie is magical and utterly charming. In this film DreamWorks did it all exactly right. Every voice is precisely as it should be. Perfection! Chris Pine, Jude Law, Hugh Jackman, too many to list …if you didn't know that was Alec Baldwin doing the Russian accent for Santa, you would never guess it. The characters, all of them, are endearing, totally engaging. Sad moments, glad moments, hilarious moments. I haven't laughed this much in an animated movie since….well, never, actually. As I said, this one is destined to become a classic. A wonderful family movie and best of all it doesn't just appeal to the children, adults will love it too. Every adult in the audience,while I was there, seemed as captivated as the kids. And how many movies do you go to these days where, at the end, people applaud? They did for this one. And rightly so. I know I came out of that theater wishing I could somehow have my own Little Baby Tooth...and the friend I was with wished even more that she could have one of the Feisty Elves. You'll totally understand what I mean after you see this delightful movie. Don't miss this one!

• 'Guardians' gives kids some holiday inspiration

  DjMethod2012-11-11

  Here's a fresh look at old tradition: a tatted-up Russian St. Nick and an Australian kangaroo-looking Easter Bunny. Rise of the Guardians is based on an original children's book series by William Joyce, who produced the film along with Guillermo Del Toro. The books were inspired by the author's 6-year-old daughter when she asked him if Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny knew each other. Admittedly I was skeptical going in, but the chemistry of personalities works wonderfully. It creates an original formula that goes against certain expectations. Perhaps one improvement in potential sequels would be to focus more centrally on Santa (or "Nicholas St. North"), but Jack Frost's story is incredibly touching and I found it clever how it parallels the antagonist's motives. The film is slow to start but picks up at a fast pace with non-stop action. By the end, the entire movie theater was in applause. Rise of the Guardians is a cute, adventurous, and heartwarming family film that focuses on hanging on to the best thing about childhood: belief.

• An imaginative and epic adventure that exceeded my expectations

  gavin-thelordofthefu-48-4602972012-12-04

  Before the end of the thanksgiving weekend I had with my cousins, I went with my brother to see this particularly in 3D, hoping that it would exceed my expectations as the trailer had promised. Later, after seeing the movie, I couldn't believe that my expectations were raised by not only how interesting it look, but how beautiful it looked. So, are there any flaws? Well, let's just say that there is one for it does drag a bit on the middle, but there isn't anything else to fault this epic adventure with. Some people may find the story of this movie predictable due to it's good vs evil concept, but for me, I don't think it was that bad. It had it's heart in the right place and has some nice messaging about using your courage and it did got me shedding some tears since it reminded me what it's like to be a child. The dialog is also witty and the script is refreshing and funny. What I also like about the story is how it focused on Jack Frost's origins and how he came to be. I would've like to see the origins on some of the other childhood icons like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Sandman, and the Tooth Fairy, but I think that Dreamworks Animation is saving those for the sequels if they ever make them. The music from Alexandre Desplat is beautiful, tear-jerking, and whimsical and it's orchestra is well done which makes it one of his best music in a feature length film. There are some other redeeming aspects of the movie. First, there's the characters which are likable in every way. Jack Frost is a charming lead, Nicholas St. North (or Santa Claus) is a bada** character with his Russian accent and has a sleigh machine, the Sandman is silent, but that's what makes him more interesting and his comedic moments is funny, the Tooth Fairy (or Toothiana) is a beautiful female character and the way she explains her ways of getting all of the children's tooth is well thought out, and Bunnymund, the easter bunny, is a great fighter and by the far the most hilarious character that most people would adore. Pitch, however, steals the show and is a great villain thanks to Jude Law's menacing voice-work. In fact, the voice acting for the character is great especially Alec Baldwin who was a great surprise being here. The fight sequences and the chase scenes are not only amazing, but exhilarating, but the strongest aspect goes to the animation. It's character animation is well inspired and creative, but what stands out the most about the animation is it's visuals. The places are amazing in scope including the North Pole, the Toothfairy's land, Pitch's evil lair, the Easter Bunny's home with the eggs being the highlight and more. Looks like Dreamworks Animation never fails to amuse me with their beautiful animation. Overall, Rise of the Guardians is by no means a classic and with all of my heart, this deserves some recommendation to those who haven't seen it yet. Go watch it! It's that good just like Disney's Wreck-It Ralph.