Thursday, May 23, 2013

Rise of the Guardians

We go by many names, and take many forms. We bring wonder and hope, we bring joy and dreams. We are the Sandman and the Tooth Fairy, we are the Easter Bunny and Santa. And our powers are greater than you ever imagine.

Last night, I finally watched Dreamwork's Rise of the Guardians.  I have a mixed attitude towards their works: How to Train Your Dragon was amazing, but I tend to associate them with more potty-mouth,crude humor, as in Madagascar, Over the Hedge,  and Monsters vs Aliens. However, I'd seen enough of the Big Four (also known as Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons) posts on Tumblr to understand parts of it, as well as know the big spoiler of Jack's origins. 
I really like fairy tales and mythical creatures, but I'm also wary of Dreamworks' approach to such stories--Shrek was horribly modern for my tastes.  At first glance, Jack might seem to be a similar character--he dresses much more modernly than the other guardians and laughs at authority, but he also has hidden depths and genuinely cares about the children. Pitch was an interesting villain as well, especially with his similarities to Jack. However, Jack still chose to accept his role, even though he wasn't happy with his situation.
 My biggest concern with this movie was that a lot of the ninety minutes was taken up by fight  scenes and action sequences.  While I can understand the audience appeal, especially for younger kids, I would have liked to see more world development--what exactly are the roles of the Guardians? Why do they take on certain appearances? How does the belief/strength equation work out, anyway? However, I still thought it was a good movie. 

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