Similar to Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, the writers crowbar politics into a surreal fantasy for the sake of making it accessible to the layman, yet it doesn't feel as forced as in that film. In the first third, this comes from a family having trouble experiencing Christmas without the mother who our protagonist misses dearly. But then Clara ends up in Narnia and has to stop a war through flight, infiltration, and wits. The world doesn't ask for too much suspension of disbelief as long as you go in expecting to go to a fantasy realm, and they never exhaust the ideas they explore, even if they introduce one too many. The actual dialogue writing helps the world feel alive and gives a good delineation between the real and fantasy in style and delivery of speech. But the third act twist feels like the writer attempted to make a G rated Game of Thrones but feels more like untapped potential than epic payoff.
A section dedicated to showing great ballet shows no embarrassment for the source material and provides an opportunity for newcomers to seek out the source material. The fantasy realm gives us a ballet within the movie that shows off a mixture of practical effects and dance choreography that highlights everything people love about ballet and theater in a tight, well framed, beautiful 5 minute package, While certainly not enough for fans of the source, it still shows that the authors love the original. But it highlights a problem for the rest of the film. Within this ballet there comes a measured marriage betwixt movement and music, captured by gorgeous cinematography. Everywhere else in the movie the music from the ballet just exists to provide backing for some montage or a bridge while the character gets to the next plot point, which marks a lot of wasted opportunity.
The set and costume design encapsulates the toys, ostentatious presentation, clockwork, and time period brilliantly. Everything semi-mechanical shows gears and clockwork. Within the fantasy, costumes go over the top with French aristocratic dress providing a base for toys with concepts like spring, winter, amusements, and sweets. Billowing skirts and high stacked wigs covered with color and accessories capture the imaginary world from a 19th century European perspective.
Though mostly obvious CG, the design still shines and the practical effects show love for their craft. The aesthetic and design feel unified by the time period and design choices, whether in makeup or costume or a CG water powered engine. But the choice of making the mice all small but still needing them to attack leads to a silly CG monster encounter which doesn't fit with the rest of the world. But an army of still obvious CG tin soldiers feels so at home design wise that I still found their encounter thrilling, unlike the mice.
Scary sections make this not ideal for toddlers or easily frightened kids, but still a great time for children for the short run time and creatively designed visuals.
Although not a bad film, I find it hard to recommend because I don't understand the intended audience. Steampunk enthusiasts will get their itch with Mortal Engines, and Nutcracker enthusiasts won't enjoy it since they jettisoned most of the story in translation. But for kids and adults that just want a new Christmas movie that isn't the Santa's helper or Christmas Carol plot, it fits like clockwork.
Rozlynd
Disney owns The Nutcracker and the Four Realms movie. Always support official releases.
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