The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

I wasn't expecting much from The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, but I think I was expecting more than I got for my money. Well, I didn't pay, so at least there is that. I attended the 3D screening of this film yesterday using my AMC AList subscription. With just a few movies left at the theater that I haven't seen, I was down to a few films I wasn't really interested in. The showing time for this film was the deciding factor, although I wish I had waited and seen Beautiful Boy instead. I guess that will be my last free movie for this week if I can find the time one night to get out.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is touted as a retelling of the traditional Nutcracker story. I would probably bill it as a sequel. This Disney feature was designed to capitalize on the Christmas popularity of the story, which is normally told in the form of ballet. There will be countless productions of this show between now and Christmas. This story is a debut screenplay from Ashleigh Powell who appears to have two more screenplays that are in the process of filming. While this film has the Disney look, it lacked the heartbeat. It felt exactly like what it was. A cheap derivative.

Clara Stahlbaum (Mackenzie Foy) is a creative girl with a vivid imagination. She also has an incredible gift for creating or repairing mechanical devices. Her family is recovering from the loss of their mother, Marie. On Christmas Eve, her father (Matthew MacFadyen), gathers her siblings together to share presents from their deceased mother. Clara receives a mysterious locked Faberge-like egg. She is aided in her search for the key by her god-father, Drosselmeyer (Morgan Freeman). Her search leads her to a strange world made up of four realms (flower, snowflake, sweets and amusements). Three of the realms are at war with the fourth, amusements. Clara must find a way to unlock her own insecurity and unite the realms.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms was surprising to me. Surprising because the Disney name is attached to it. Not that Disney doesn't have a history of creating flops. But this film was tepid. Even bad Disney films generally have a heartbeat. This film lacked the magic. What had the potential to be an excellent story was merely mediocre. I didn't care much for the characters, the story was predictable and much of the interaction felt forced. The film didn't have a natural flow. More importantly, this film failed to move me. Even a little bit. It felt slow, plodding and self-absorbed. While it possessed the Disney look, with exceptional special effects and credible integration of the CGI, it lacked substance.

I like the lead actress. MaKenzie Foy has a promising future ahead of her. I liked her. I just couldn't engage with her character. I don't think that was a failure on her part. I really wanted to like her. She is the planet around which the rest of the characters orbit. None of them stood out, although there were some perennial favorites. I liked Morgan Freeman as her god-father. But then, I can't think of a role I didn't like Freeman in. Helen Mirren is another who could play just about any role and I would love her. She was strong, in spite of the weak story. It was interesting that Keira Knightly is in this film, considering her recent statement that she doesn't allow her children to watch Disney films. In spite of that, I enjoyed her performance. It was fitting, all things considered. The casting was the strongest element of this film.

I am certainly not the demographic that Disney had in mind for The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. The film was geared toward children and tweens, particularly young girls. The film earned a PG rating from the MPAA, consistent with the target audience. There are a few scary sequences that might stay with children prone to nightmares, but the film is generally tame. I wouldn't restrict this one by age. The film has a run time of one hour, 39 minutes.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is a fantasy designed for the Christmas season. It is a derivative of the traditional Nutcracker story generally told in the form of ballet. This film does incorporate a bit of ballet into the film, although it is more an afterthought than a central theme. The film has the look of a Disney film and an A-List cast. But the film lacks a heartbeat. Beyond just being derivative, the film lacks substance. The characters never engaged me. The story never moved me. The entire film felt like a waste of time to me. That is unfortunate. This film had great potential, but completely whiffed. 5.5/10.

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