areaseven Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole Animal Logic/Village Roadshow Pictures/Warner Bros. Pictures, 2010 Directed by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) Based on the children's book series Guardians of Ga'Hoole by Kathryn Lasky Running Time: 90 minutes Rated PG for violence and some scary elements. Cast Jim Sturgess (Jude in Across the Universe) as Soren the Barn Owl Ryan Kwanten (Jason in True Blood) as Kludd the Barn Owl Helen Mirren (Morgana in Excalibur) as Nyra the Barn Owl Joel Edgerton (Owen Lars in Star Wars Episode II-III) as Metalbeak the Sooty Owl Geoffrey Rush (Barbossa in Pirates of the Caribbean) as Ezylryb the Whiskered Screech Owl Emily Barclay as Gylfie the Elf Owl Anthony LaPaglia (Malone in Without a Trace) as Twilight the Great Grey Owl David Wenham (Faramir in Lord of the Rings, Dilios in 300) as Digger the Burrowing Owl Myriam Margolyes (Professor Sprout in Harry Potter) as Mrs. Plithiver the Black Mamba Adrienne deFaria as Eglantine the Barn Owl Sam Neill (Alan in Jurassic Park I & III, Dr. Weir in Event Horizon) as Allomere the Great Grey Owl Hugo Weaving (like no one here knows who he is...) as Noctus the Barn Owl and Grimble the Boreal Owl Richard Roxburgh (Dracula in Van Helsing, Hugh Stamp in Mission: Impossible II) as King Boron the Barn Owl Debora-Lee Furness as Queen Barran the Barn Owl Synopsis One night, while attempting to fly in their forest, Soren and his brother Kludd are kidnapped and sent to a faraway kingdom ruled by the evil Metalbeak and Nyra. During their ordeal, Kludd becomes a soldier of the "Pure Ones", while Soren and a female owl named Gylfie become slaves assigned to gather magnetic metal flecks that weaken owls. Shortly thereafter, Soren and Gylfie escape from their captors on a perilous journey to the legendary kingdom of Ga'Hoole, where they must warn the Guardians of Metalbeak's evil plot to rule over all owls. Story: B- There really isn't much to expect on a children's storybook adapted into film. One thing I didn't expect was how rushed the storyline felt, given that the movie runs at 90 minutes. You don't really get to know most of the characters and some plot elements seem to be pretty vague. Perhaps a sequel would explain this whole universe further. Animation: A++ Animal Logic, best known for Happy Feet, strikes gold with this film. The visuals are just downright stunning and the owls look very enigmatic. Zack Snyder, best known for his slow-motion camera work, uses his profound technique to further enhance all the eye candy. And the effect is best experienced in 3D, with all the feathers, beaks and talons in full detail. Soundtrack: A The orchestral score by David Hirschfelder really goes well with all of the film's action scenes. The theme song "To the Sky" by Owl City isn't bad, either. The Bottom Line Despite a lackluster story, you'll definitely give a hoot about watching this film in 3D. Links Official Site Reference The Internet Movie Database http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_lMihSKkgA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruskiiVFaussie Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 review said hoot, hoo hoo hoo! I would like to watch it, it looks incredible. Just seen Despicable Me, not as good as How to Train Your Dragon, but real fun! Love Grul's fighter/car/rocketship, he's badass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funkenstein Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 The books this movie is based on seems to be something of a trilogy. So they compressed 3 books into the span of 90 minutes which makes the plot seem rushed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hingtgen Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 Hmmmn. I generally go for the 2D versions, but don't actively *hate* 3D. (I hate 3D when it's tacked on and focuses on pointless "throwing stuff at the audiecne) 3D *really* worth it for this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugimon Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 Saw it with my 4 year old son. We both had a great time. The 3D really works for this thanks to all the flying. The atmospheric effects, the terrain and the camera work really sell the 3D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areaseven Posted October 4, 2010 Author Share Posted October 4, 2010 Forgot to mention about the Looney Tunes opener "Fur of Flying". It's your typical Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoon, only in 3D animation. And it's really just that: an opening act. Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoons got lame after WB fired Chuck Jones over four decades ago; this is no different. For many reasons, it just doesn't feel right to have them computer animated. The colors of both characters are too bright and their movements seem to be forced. And the whole cliche of Coyote falling off a cliff and being crushed by boulders has been done to death; making it 3D doesn't make it any better. WB should just leave our beloved Looney Tunes in 2D instead. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I_269gfKIs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugimon Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 I found the CG made the violence kinda disturbing. Something about it just lacked the whimsy and humor of the old hand drawn animation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taksraven Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 The animation looks stunning in 2D, but I don't know if I would go out of my way to see the dimmer 3D version. Taksraven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedWolf Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Well 3D is not for everybody and that's a fact. When the papa Owl said "I'm proud of you son" my reaction was... What about the other son? Yeah better not speak about him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taksraven Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 And the title of the film really sucks...... Sounds as good as The Contrabulous Fabtraption of Professor Horatio Hufnagel. Taksraven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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