Monday’s Movie Musings; Rise of the Guardians (2012)

Monday’s Movie Musings is a new feature here at A Daydreamer’s Thoughts. The idea of this feature is to have all of my movie things occuring in one place. Whether it is a review, article, or something else, this feature will just be all about movies.

This week I have a review of Rise of the Guardians for you all!

Directed By: Peter Ramsey
Adapted By: David Lindsay-Abaire
Book Written By: William Joyce
Production Company: Dreamworks
Main Cast:Chris Pine, Jude Law, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, and Isla Fisher
Format: Cinema {OUT NOW}
Add It: IMDB

Summary:
The Guardians have protected the children of the earth for hundreds of years but as soon as they stop believing, the Guardians will disappear. When Pitch, the “boogeyman” uses his influence of fear to strike against the Guardians, the moon believes their is only one person who can help save everyone; Jack Frost. But how exactly can Jack set out to do this when no one can even see him?

It Is Time

Rise of the Guardians is a film that I have wanted to see since I first saw the trailer for it back in December. I knew that it would be a lovely film to see around the Christmas period but it never quite worked out in my favour. Fortunately, this is a film that is actually suitable to watch at any period throughout the year, and while the screen may not have been filled to the brim; there was still a lot of people in attendance. (And the cashier even admitted to watching the film three times because she adored it so much.) Upon leaving the cinema, I am happy to admit that I would easily go and watch it again as well as it was even better than I thought it was going to be. Rise of the Guardians is the perfect family film, not just entertaining for the little ones, but enjoyable for the adults as well.

To Rise Up

The one thing that I was most curious about when it came to this film was how it would all go down. It was an interesting concept about the Guardian’s of the earth, but where could they possibly go from there? So, when the film got under way and the plot started coming together, I found myself continuously impressed. Everything that happened with the film was extremely clever, looked fantastic, and just flowed so easily. Before I knew it, emotions were flowing through me for these characters and their tales and I wanted so badly for everything to correct itself. The plot was children-friendly, fun, heart-warming, but with a touch of humanity and sadness as well. It holds a deep message of hope, belief, and love, and I have to say that it truly warmed the cockles of my heart. It is the kind of film that makes me remember why I love family films.

Against The Threat

As mentioned above, the characters in this film quite quickly found their way into my heart and I feel that this is because they were all portrayed so well. As it was animated, a lot of their personalisation came from amazing CGI graphics, but a lot was also because of the way that the actors and actresses carried their voices in the film. I was incredibly impressed by every single one of them in this film that I feel it unfair to single out anyone. Instead, I’m going to talk about the characters themselves. Such as Jack Frost who was such a brilliant character. He had heart to his character as he just wanted to be loved, to be noticed, and believed in but didn’t know how to achieve it. He was a fun, charming, playful lad and I just wanted to give him a hug throughout the entire film. Tooth Fairy was such a sweetheart, but also had a fun, playful, silly side to her that was great to see.

Santa Claus (North) was threatening, large, but full of wonder, love, and care; he had a lot of magic and “fatherly” feel to his character. Easter Bunny was a hilarious, sarcastic, grumpy character who was also caring, protective, and fun. Then there was Sandy. He was the light that brought all of the characters together, the humour on top of the cake and really was the character I liked the most – expect maybe from Jack, but a close second! – as he had this sweet, innocent, lovable side to him. On the other side of the spectrum we have Pitch, the villain, and he was such a brilliant villain. He wasn’t cruel just for the sake of being cruel, but had his hatred building for many years but at the heart of his goal was the simply need to be accepted. He didn’t want to be ignored anymore, and because this is such a human emotion, it’s easy to see how things went wrong. A simply brilliant cast of characters for this film.

But Will You

It would be impossible to finish this review without mentioning the amazing CGI. The graphics and animations in this film was on par with the animations of The Adventures of TinTin and while I only saw the 2D version of this film, it was possible to see how truly magnificent this film would have looked in 3D. With such fine detail, the animation really made this world light up and look incredibly real. It is clear to see that the movie world is doing everything they can with new technology to make our animations more realistic and watchable. I am actually a little bit jealous of the younger generations of today who are able to experience these animations as their first ones. Needless to say, I am incredibly interested in the future of CGI animations. (Though I may still need some persuading to pay for 3D in the cinema)

Win The War?

All in all, The Rise of the Guardians was a film that I thoroughly enjoyed. It had me laughing one moment, nearly in tears the next, to filling a sense of purpose the next. By the end of the film I felt emotionally lifted and I know that it is a film I will happily purchase on DVD to re-watch over and over again. It is also a film that I would easily recommend for others, especially for those who adore light-hearted, yet somewhat deep, family animated films that are full of fun and adventure. With a well-suited cast, brilliant CGI, a fantastic script, and full of messages, The Rise of the Guardians is a must-see film if you’re in the mood for a film that is easy to watch and simply fills you with a brilliant heart-warming feeling. If you haven’t already seen this film, what’s stopping you?

** I paid for a full admission to see this film. I was not required to write a review, positive or negative. All views expressed are my own. **

Faye