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Title: Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
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| CONSUMER ADVICE |
Parents, outside of some mild violence I think this is perfectly fine for kids and could have escaped with a G-rating. Recommended for ages 5 and up. |
Can we officially call say that Pixar’s reign of providing top quality entertainment is over yet? I think now’s as good a time as ever. Now before anyone sends me any nasty e-mails I’m not saying Pixar is making poor films. On the contrary: They are making excellent films. But they’ve lost their control on quality films. Earlier this year Dreamworks shocked the world with one of the best films of the year “How To Train Your Dragon.” Then Sony made a competent film called “Despicable Me.” Now Warner Bros. has given us “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole,” a high flying fantasy epic that looks oh so very good indeed. The film revolves around (what else) owls who are captured from their homes and taken to another group of owls who call themselves “Pure Ones.”
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These owls are gathering up as many young owls as they can so they can brainwash them and use them to take over the world. Thankfully a couple of them escape and seek help from The Owls of Ga'Hoole, legendary owls who have fought many wars before and have always managed to bring peace to the world as a result. Their involvement in the world has been limited for some time, but that doesn’t stop Soren (Jim Sturges) from believing they are out there. On the contrary, he’s grown up believing the legend and yearning to be one. His brother Kludd (Ryan Kwanten) on the other hand has doubts of their existence, and feels that the goals of the Pure Ones are far more reasonable. These are the only two characters given any real personality, but their conflict is interesting enough that it does carry the film.
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It also helps that the films villain is a good one. His name is Metalbeak (Joel Edderton), who actually faced off against the Owls of Ga'Hoole many years ago and now wears armored plates to cover up his wounds. He’s bent on revenge, yes, but also to finish a plan that he truly feels will serve owls in the world better. Right from the get go you’ll notice that this is one beautiful film. Art students, animators, and movie watchers all over the world take notice: THIS is how you make a movie that looks like pure art! Everything about the look of this film - from the camera shots, animation, and settings - absolutely everything looks fantastic. I know of at least one friend who would likely go to the nearest book store after the film was finished so she could find out how the animation was done.
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In IMAX 3D it’s even more spectacular and immersive to boot. The animation and 3D comes into full blown effect near the end where an epic battle takes place (and trust me, you aren’t likely to forget these scenes anytime soon). Sadly it’s the story that keeps “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole” from becoming an instant classic. The movie was directed by Zack Synder, whose previous directing credits include “300" and “Watchmen.” Synder has always impressed me with his visual flair and editing, but his storytelling has been hit-or-miss. Here the journey isn’t all that compelling and most of the characters don’t leave much of an impression. It makes you feel as though you’re more sucked into the art style rather then what should be making the movie good in the first place.
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Since his previous films were all pretty much cartoons anyway though, it should come as no surprise he shows a natural talent for directing animation. How is the general public going to respond to this movie? I’m not sure. It LOOKS cute on the posters, but it’s sort of a downer for a family film! It’s easily the best animated CGI film I’ve ever seen. I'm totally serious: When it comes to CGI animation this is EASILY the best I've EVER seen!!! Some of the recent Pixar and Dreamworks films look weak in comparison. But the aforementioned “How To Train Your Dragon” did many of the same things with 3D, flight, and art style that this movie does yet is three times better. If seen this deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible. Just don’t be too let down when the film shows more gloss then meat.
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