Today’s quick review: Rise of the Guardians. The Guardians, a team of mythical beings dedicated to protecting children around the globe, recruit Jack Frost (Chris Pine), a mischievous winter spirit, as their newest member. Jack joins forces with Nicholas St. North (Alec Baldwin), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), and the Sandman to keep their nemesis Pitch Black (Jude Law) from flooding the world with nightmares.
Rise of the Guardians is a family animated fantasy action adventure that puts a new spin on classic figures from children’s fiction. The story unites Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and more as they use their extraordinary abilities to keep the world’s children safe. The film explores familiar holiday themes of hope, wonder, and belief. However, it dresses them up in gorgeous visuals and sweeping action, resulting in something that stands on its own.
Jack Frost is the glue that holds Rise of the Guardians together. Chris Pine delivers a spot-on performance as Jack, striking a perfect balance between childlike wonder and responsibility. His outside perspective on the Guardians is exactly what the audience needs to get to know them, while his kind heart and playful spirit make him easy to like. In a movie that stretches suspension of disbelief, Jack is the character who keeps things grounded.
With its lead firmly in place, Rise of the Guardians goes on to tell a nicely scoped story that shows off each of its characters in turn. The plot is easy to follow but works in enough of the story’s unique lore that it doesn’t feel generic. Not every character design is a hit, but the visual effects and sense of motion are superb. Finally, the action makes great use of the Guardians’ powers and gives the movie plenty of excitement.
Rise of the Guardians will not work for everyone. Its premise requires a considerable amount of buy-in, its tone skews a little mature for a family film, and a large part of its appeal comes from its action. There are countless ways it could strike a viewer the wrong way: too generic, too far out, too serious, or too juvenile. But for the right viewer, Rise of the Guardians is an artfully crafted film with a rich story and quite a bit of heart.
For a Christmas action adventure with a similar reimagining of Santa Claus, try The Christmas Chronicles. For a less family-friendly adventure about a team of heroes with remarkable abilities, try The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
[7.3 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1446192/). I give it a 7.0 for strong action and a carefully crafted story.