The Nutcracker & the Four Realms
(C or 2/4 stars)
Very, VERY loosely based on 1816's The Nutcracker & the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffmann, Tchaikovsky's famous ballet, and incorporating elements from C.S. Lewis' Narnia tales & Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland ... 'The Nutcracker & the Four Realms' (directed by Lasse Hallstrom & Joe Johnston) looks to weave a conglomeration CGI fantasy/adventure faerie tale for modern kiddies & teens. Unfortunately, despite good intentions & impressive visuals, this version is a lackluster mess. 'TN&TFR' opens in snowy Victorian London, where bright, inventive teen Clara Stahlbaum (Mackenzie Foy) & her two siblings, Louise & Fritz (Ellie Bamber, Tom Sweet) are struggling with the recent death of their mother, Marie, & their somber father (Matthew Macfadyen) is trying to hold it together, as well.
Still, determined to celebrate Christmas, the family ventures to Clara's quirky godfather Drosselmeyer's (Morgan Freeman) mansion for a ball. There, his gift to Clara is an ornate filigree egg with a cryptic message "everything you need is inside"; but it lacks a key. Before long, after navigating an elaborate treasure hunt within the dark corridors of the mansion, Clara steps into a wondrous, Narnia-like winter world called the Four Realms; where she finds the key, but loses it to a mischievous mouse, and then meets a brave, young Nutcracker Capt. Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight), who tells her that her mom was Queen of the Four Realms!
However, since mom Marie is dead, this means that the throne belongs to Clara. Phillip takes her to meet the regents of 3 of the 4 realms: Sugar Plum (Keira Knightley, adorned with cotton candy hair) from the Land of Sweets, ice-bearded Shiver (Richard E. Grant, so good in this yr.'s Can You Ever Forgive Me?) from the Land of Snowflakes, & Hawthorne (Eugenio Derbez) from the Land of Flowers. She then learns of the 4th regent: malevolent Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), who is in rebellion and declaring war on the other realms. Sugar Plum implores Clara to help defeat Mother Ginger, unite the realms & bring peace to their toy land world. But Clara's missing key IS the 'key' and, as is the case with fantasy flicks, things are not as they seem.
So this (mostly) visually appealing holiday extravaganza disappointed me. Not even world-famous ballerina Misty Copeland and her storybook-stage bound ballet sequences could lift my spirits. Despite all the magical, CGI-drenched set pieces, this film doesn't have an interesting premise. It departs wayyyyy too much from the original Nutcracker source material; instead, it leans heavily on the Narnia/Oz/Alice in Wonderland milieus & plot incidentals. Furthermore, the performances did nothing for me. That includes Mackenzie Foy - who is pleasant & lovely - but lacks the pluckiness & oomph to be a true teen heroine that a huge movie demands. Really, to say that every character lacks depth is an understatement -- we don't know any of these people. The storytelling is a mess, too; devoid of energy & excitement. I found some aspects to be flat-out odd. i.e., Sugar Plum's comments about the tin soldiers; a giant CGI-mouse comprised of tiny mice moving as one {weird!}; and the unsettling clowns that inhabit Mother Ginger's enormous moving castle {they freaked me out and, I'm sure freaked young children out}.
I can't condemn it all, though. This is a Disney film, so it goes down easy & is polished. Themes of courage & trusting yourself abound. The opulent production design, costumes & make-up are incredible -- but CGI overwhelms all of that too often. As mentioned, I loved Misty Copeland's dancing. Lasse Hallstrom directs the early London scenes with lovely sincerity. But the film loses its way once it enters the 4 realms; segueing into Joe Johnston's chaotic extravagance. One director should have tackled this material, not two. 'The Nutcracker & the Four Realms' may appeal to the young kiddies, but that's because they may not know any better of the superior Narnia/Oz/Alice stories; the likes of which this shallow movie stole from.
Still, determined to celebrate Christmas, the family ventures to Clara's quirky godfather Drosselmeyer's (Morgan Freeman) mansion for a ball. There, his gift to Clara is an ornate filigree egg with a cryptic message "everything you need is inside"; but it lacks a key. Before long, after navigating an elaborate treasure hunt within the dark corridors of the mansion, Clara steps into a wondrous, Narnia-like winter world called the Four Realms; where she finds the key, but loses it to a mischievous mouse, and then meets a brave, young Nutcracker Capt. Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight), who tells her that her mom was Queen of the Four Realms!
However, since mom Marie is dead, this means that the throne belongs to Clara. Phillip takes her to meet the regents of 3 of the 4 realms: Sugar Plum (Keira Knightley, adorned with cotton candy hair) from the Land of Sweets, ice-bearded Shiver (Richard E. Grant, so good in this yr.'s Can You Ever Forgive Me?) from the Land of Snowflakes, & Hawthorne (Eugenio Derbez) from the Land of Flowers. She then learns of the 4th regent: malevolent Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), who is in rebellion and declaring war on the other realms. Sugar Plum implores Clara to help defeat Mother Ginger, unite the realms & bring peace to their toy land world. But Clara's missing key IS the 'key' and, as is the case with fantasy flicks, things are not as they seem.
So this (mostly) visually appealing holiday extravaganza disappointed me. Not even world-famous ballerina Misty Copeland and her storybook-stage bound ballet sequences could lift my spirits. Despite all the magical, CGI-drenched set pieces, this film doesn't have an interesting premise. It departs wayyyyy too much from the original Nutcracker source material; instead, it leans heavily on the Narnia/Oz/Alice in Wonderland milieus & plot incidentals. Furthermore, the performances did nothing for me. That includes Mackenzie Foy - who is pleasant & lovely - but lacks the pluckiness & oomph to be a true teen heroine that a huge movie demands. Really, to say that every character lacks depth is an understatement -- we don't know any of these people. The storytelling is a mess, too; devoid of energy & excitement. I found some aspects to be flat-out odd. i.e., Sugar Plum's comments about the tin soldiers; a giant CGI-mouse comprised of tiny mice moving as one {weird!}; and the unsettling clowns that inhabit Mother Ginger's enormous moving castle {they freaked me out and, I'm sure freaked young children out}.
I can't condemn it all, though. This is a Disney film, so it goes down easy & is polished. Themes of courage & trusting yourself abound. The opulent production design, costumes & make-up are incredible -- but CGI overwhelms all of that too often. As mentioned, I loved Misty Copeland's dancing. Lasse Hallstrom directs the early London scenes with lovely sincerity. But the film loses its way once it enters the 4 realms; segueing into Joe Johnston's chaotic extravagance. One director should have tackled this material, not two. 'The Nutcracker & the Four Realms' may appeal to the young kiddies, but that's because they may not know any better of the superior Narnia/Oz/Alice stories; the likes of which this shallow movie stole from.