It’s a visual feast right from the get-go with the owl swooping over a CGI snowy fantasy London. All the actors are clearly having a great time but for me the movie didn’t work as a movie. The problems can be summarised in three words: CGI, Disney, and princess. For me, there needed to be more on the father’s loss. For example, more needed to be made of the scene where the daughter puts on her mother’s dress. But that wouldn’t fit a Disney film. And what was the point of Clara’s brother? He could have been cut entirely. Yes, there’s the difference between the boy and Phillip, but that’s a bit of a reach. Indeed, both brother and sister could have been cut entirely - indeed that would have made the set-up more poignant, with Clara and her father alone.
I’m hoping that a lot got left on the cutting-room floor that would make this a better film and a director’s cut will come.
Okay, I’m really not the target audience, but it was what was on - I try and go to the cinema once a week - and this sort of film needs to also appeal to the adults accompanying the kids.
But the choreography and the music were delightful, and the cameos were fun.
according to box office reports Disney’s gonna take a huge hit on this one ……. the reviews are comparing to it as the wizard of Oz movie they tried a few years ago ……
I didn’t think it as bad as the reviews indicate; having read a number, I think that the reviews are comparing it with the ballet whereas this is aimed at a very different market segment.
Is it worth seeing for the visuals alone? I was sorta looking forward to this and the reviews are scaring me off. But sometimes… nice visuals is enough to get me through a matinee?
FTR I was hoping for the same thing with A Wrinkle in Time but I did not enjoy that movie at all.
Will you be going with a young girl? She will love it. Have you seen the ballet? You will likely be disappointed. The film isn’t bad but it doesn’t live up to the source material. Yes there are some visually stunning scenes. The opening scene with the owl is one.
I just watched it last night. I came to the same conclusions as you.
The brother and sister could have been eliminated completely and the movie would have been better for it. I think having Clara as an only child makes a better movie.
My biggest complaints are (1) that there’s nothing to care about. It’s a fake world with arbitrary rules. And (2) that Ginger and the [del]Realm of Amusements[/del] (shh) Fourth Realm didn’t make any sense. If Sugarplum was the real villain, why did Ginger ACT like the villain? The mouse monster and grabby hands tent and rolly-polly clowns all look like they would have killed Clara and the Nutcracker. And the horse they rode in on.
The world doesn’t follow internal logic. Why did the soldiers “die” when Sugarplum was reverted to a toy? Why did the human guards put Clara and company in the cells? Why did the mouse steal the key in the first place? Why did Mother make such a machine and not tell Clara what it was, how to work it?
And where did the string go? She was only in the realm for a few minutes of real time. Who took the string down?
But it sure was something to look at, wasn’t it! There’s a lot of imagination and skill behind that movie.