The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

I thought this film was breathtakingly beautiful, every frame was decadent. The storyline was vastly different to any other version of the Nutcracker I have seen, but it was a refreshing new take which I enjoyed. Think this may be a new Christmas favourite.

This was a pleasant surprise. Instead of only being based on the ballet (which, to me, has beautiful dance but lacks narrative) it is a hybrid of the ballet and the book THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING. This is a beautiful, creative, imaginative, skillfull, and layered production. There is the excellence of Misty Copeland as the Ballerina Princess, the ingenue charm of MacKenzie Foy, the veteran performances of Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren and Keira Knightly, the beautiful set pieces that made the realms so real, the comedic and the menacing elements of story, the real loss of our protagonist and the resolving discoveries ("missing is remembering" was a powerful thought), wonderful music, and an abundance of imagination and whimsy. I really liked this film, and give it an 8 (great) out of 10. [Fantastic Adventure]

Honestly, the whole fairytale/fantasy genre is usually a big no for me. So honestly I have no idea what suddenly spurred me on watch this, especially after seeing some of the ratings and reviews.
This movie, however, has proved finally to me that other people's ratings mean nothing. (Just as mine will not to others)

As an aside, just as The Edge of Seventeen introduced me to follow Hailee Steinfeld's movies then the awesome performance of Mackenzie Foy will lead me down the same path with her career.

I kept waiting for the part where the film becomes detestable, but that part never came.

_The Nutcracker and the Four Realms_ is like a tasty Christmas cookie: it has all the right ingredients, is a little too saccharine and looks incredible.

While the visuals are extremely Baroque in nature, the story, like the original Tchaikovsky ballet, has clear Romantic influences which mean the plot and the music go together like feet and pointe shoes.

MacKenzie Foy was utterly breathtaking in the lead while Jayden Fowora-Knight as the Nutcracker Captain was utterly gorgeous (though the weakest of all performances).

My take is, _The Nutcracker..._ is meant for adults who remember what it means to be a child, and for children who want to know how it feels to be an adult.

Not quite sure where to place this one. I didn't realise when watching it that it was an adaption from what was originally a ballet, so it felt like it should be a musical and yet nobody sings in it. It did have an influence from "Alice In Wonderland", and that aspect won my approval. It also had at least one or two funny moment so it was rather enjoyable but not something I'd be eager to watch again.

Spoilers with this Review

Non-spoilers it's the Moulin Rouge of Disney movies stunning costumes and set design boring or turgid plot.

[spoiler]The plot while too twee at times was serviceable. I loved set dressing and set design in general, all the fantastic costumes really captured the world perfectly. It was enjoyable and the music was of course amazing. The ensemble Clara wore was friggin' gorgeous and I would love to wear it.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]My biggest problem, I saw as soon as I saw how insistent Sugarplum Fairy was on the weapon I knew she was actually the evil one.[/spoiler]

Not a bad movie FYI. I'd give it an 8/10 or 7/10 for the set design and costumes alone, but the plot is much to be desired.

If you've seen many versions of the Nutcracker, this one is a delight in the way that very few reimaginings can do. Surprising plot twist on this one (that, if you know and love this story).

My favourite thing about this movie was, 100%, the graphics. It was so beautiful to look at. The storyline itself had a very long buildup to the "action" part. Which made the moment of truth a bit snowed under in comparison to the rest (see what I did there). Mackenzie Foy was absolutely brilliant and Keira Knightley confused me a bit, but other than that, The Nutcracker has a great cast! Jayden Fowora-Knight really stood out for me and Jack Whitehall made me laugh quite a bit.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms gave me all the Christmas feels and I can't wait till it's that time of the year again (my favourite time!). This would be great to watch with your family and friends right next to the Christmas tree. Once again, the graphic really did the trick for me but overall it's a fun and enjoyable movie!

An exciting fantasy adventure, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms re-envisions the classic holiday tale. While at a Christmas party a young girl named Claire accidentally crosses over to a fantasy world where toys have come to life and discovers that her mother was once a queen there, and the regents seek Claire’s help to defeat Mother Ginger, a former regent who has gone rogue and rebelled against the others. Starring Mackenzie Foy, Keira Knightley, Helen Mirren, and Morgan Freeman, the film has an impressive cast. And the costumes and set designs are incredibly well-done, creating a wondrous fantasy world. Additionally, the score by James Newton Howard has an enchanting quality that helps to set the right tone. However, the plot is rather thin and fairly predictable. Yet it does find a clever way to include and honor the original Marius Petipa ballet. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms has its problems, but overall it’s a fun family film that celebrates the magic of the season.

Not necessarily bad, just pretty lame.

'The Nutcracker and the Four Realms' is a harmless and simple film, fine I guess for the festive period. As a whole, though, it isn't good - despite neat effects and a couple of big names.

Keira Knightley (Sugar Plum), Helen Mirren (Mother Ginger) and Morgan Freeman (Drosselmeyer) are familiar faces and are enjoyable on a base level, but their characters are rather forgettable. Mackenzie Foy (Clara) and Jayden Fowora-Knight (Philip) are decent together, while Jack Whitehall (Harlequin) and Omid Djalili (Cavalier) are smart casts - if underused.

It's the plot that lets this down, it just all makes for underwhelming viewing - I, personally, never got into it. The beats of the story are quite predictable, especially the main twist. As noted though, the special effects are pleasant enough - as is the Xmas vibe it sets throughout.

Very meh. You could watch worse, mind.