Movie Review: The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Updated: Jan 8, 2019
| by Winter Lawrence |
Description: PG | Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy
Starring: Keira Knightley, Mackenzie Foy, & Jayden Fowora-Knight
Winter’s Forecast: 5 Flurries!
The Story: All Clara wants for Christmas is a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift from her late mother. A golden thread, which is presented to her by her godfather, Drosselmeyer, at his annual holiday party, leads her to the coveted key, but the moment Clara spots it, the key is snatched away by a feisty mouse. Clara pursues the little guy into a strange and mysterious parallel world, and it's there that she encounters a soldier named Phillip, a gang of mice, and the regents, an eccentric trio who preside over three realms: The Land of Snowflakes, The Land of Flowers, and The Land of Sweets. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant regent Mother Ginger, to retrieve Clara's key and return harmony to the unstable realms.
Winter’s Review: I was beyond thrilled to learn that Disney had taken on the challenge of reimagining Hoffmann’s “The Nutcracker and The Mouse King,” and I definitely wasn’t disappointed! This movie has it all—a supremely talented, star-studded, and diverse group of actors, amazing cinematography, breathtaking costume designs, gorgeous music, and of course, magnificent choreography! Granted, this isn’t The Nutcracker ballet, so there are only a few dance sequences, but the ones that are there are done beautifully! Also, as a book lover, I feel it important to point out that the movie’s plot does deviate from the original short story, but it does so in a very good, clever way—in fact, I liked the movie version better and I think my daughter summed it up perfectly when she said that it’s like Alice and Wonderland meets Narnia. So go and buy your tickets, folks, because this movie is absolutely worth the trip to the theater!
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Winter’s Forecast runs on a Five-Flurry Rating System, with five being a perfect storm of fantastic acting, astounding storylines and film components, and an all-around amazing movie-going experience. Here’s the rest of the breakdown:
One Flurry — Near White-Out Conditions: Don’t brave the cold, rent it instead!
Two Flurries — Hail Storm: A few good bits, but mostly worth dodging!
Three Flurries — A Blizzard: Worth the hype, but proceed with caution!
Four Flurries — A Nor’easter: It packs a punch but misses it by that much!
Five Flurries — The Perfect Storm: Stop reading and go watch it already!
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You can check out the original post here, on Our Fantasy Realm!