The Nutcracker and the Four Realms`
In 1940, Walt Disney released what many have considered his masterpiece: "Fantasia". A collection of short animated vignettes, this package contained classical music set to animation. One of these segments, "The Nutcracker Suite", is one of the more popular segments, mostly around Christmas time. So, in the more modern age, what does Disney do with one of their most beloved animated segments?They turn it into a live action movie. The result? A rather bad and misguided production. While the visuals and technical aspects of this more are something to behold, the rest of the movie strictly falters heavily. "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms" is an unfavorable reproduction of the Disney animated classic, as well as the Tchaikovsky ballet on which this is based upon, and turns it into something that almost resembles fan-fiction.
The story involves a young girl named Clara (Mackenzie Foy) who has grief over the loss of her mother. Her father tries to liven things up by sending her and the family to a local Christmas party. While there, Clara transports herself to a magical world where fantasy and magic pertain. However, in this world, the neighboring nations are on the brink of war. Now, Clara must find a way to bring peace before things get ugly.
So, what is wrong with "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms"? Well, did you see the above paragraph? The main plot of this movie is disjointed, convoluted and oftentimes confusing, and almost feels like it's going no where. Plus, as a movie where world building is the main focus, there isn't a whole lot of time spent on building the presented here. The audience isn't truly invested in this world, and there's very little time as to what is going on.
Another malpractice that this film offers, is with its acting. You got big name stars like Morgan Freeman, Keira Knightley, and Helen Mirren, but they are delivery performances that are either over the top, or feel like they're not caring about what's going on. This holds true with Foy who feels bored most of the entire run time. Also, while Freeman and Mirren are heavily promoted as major players, they are only on screen for a few minutes. Plus, Knightley is so over the top, one would swear that she is in a comedy.
Being bored is a major complaint in this film. At one hour and 40 minutes, one wishes that the film could have been longer; there's more to the The Nutcracker Story than what's being offered here.
Also, while the music is fine, the repetition of the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies gets rather annoying really quick.
The special effects aren't something to brag about, either. Everything is done via a computer, and it gets rather irritating on the eyes. Sure, they're just eye candy, but that's the problem: the effects are just that: eye candy.
The only good things that can be said about this movie is that the lighting and sound design looks and sounds great. A lot of attention went into detail here, and the filmmakers should be praised for it. The costumes are also good; the fit the time period of the late 1800s well, and whenever there is a set, there is both time and care being put into everything.
"The Nutcracker and the Four Realms" feels as if they took one of Walt's greatest visions and just turned it over on the side. Just dance to the ballet instead.
I think this adds to the proof that a lot of big, talented actors really doesn't mean a thing about the film's overall quality. I didn't think it looked good from the trailer, but I couldn't have anticipated it getting so slammed.
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