Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Believe, already

“Rise of the Guardians” is a lushly rendered, if repetitive animated flick that brings together a number of powerful culture-inspired beings. Long thought imaginary, these Guardians are faced with a similarly mighty menace, and must add a new member to their ranks, the mischievous Jack Frost, to help combat the impending threat.

There are cool interpretations of the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and the aforementioned Jack, but oddly enough, they’re characters you hardly care about. While they’re beautifully and impeccably animated, these more action-ready iterations don’t really have personalities and moments that make them likeable, except perhaps Jack, whose heroism was made clear, although quite belatedly, in a flashback.

Again, while it’s very distinctly and colorfully presented, “Rise of the Guardians” becomes extra-monotonous. The characters keep drumming “Believe!” and “Find your center!” into your head; there are scenes that meander and drag, and 3D format-perfect characters that drone endlessly about details that just keep the simple plot from moving forward.  

No comments: