12 Reviews of Christmas - The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)

 Hey guys, Chuck here. Today for 12 Reviews of Christmas, we'll be discussing a film based on a ballet that many people make a tradition of seeing around the holidays. I am, of course, referring to The Nutcracker. This is one ballet that everyone has seen at least once. Heck, the San Francisco Ballet production of it is a holiday tradition here in the Bay Area, where I live. So, of course I've seen The Nutcracker on stage. However, when it was announced that a film adaptation was being made by Disney, I got a little excited. So, here's my review of The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. 

         So, we open on Christmas Eve in Victorian London at the home of the Stahlbaum family. It is here where the father, Benjamin Stahlbaum, gives presents to his three children, Louise, Clara, and Fritz. The presents were set aside for them by their mother, Marie, before she died. Clara receives an egg-shaped box that she is unable to unlock, with a note that reads "Everything you need is to inside." The family then heads to a Christmas party held at the home of the children's godfather, a skilled engineer named Drosselmeyer. He explains to Clara that she made the egg for Marie when she was younger. 

          So after a brief spat between herself and her father for refusing to dance with him, Clara finds the string with her name on it. Following the string leads her to a forest in a parallel world. Finding the key on the string, Clara reaches for it, but it gets taken by a mouse loyal to Mother Ginger. Chasing the mouse, Clara meets Captain Philip Hoffman, the Nutcracker. Philip tells Clara that the mouse with her key has entered the Fourth Realm, which is a dangerous place. After a brief excursion to the Fourth Realm, and narrowly escaping both the Mouse King and Mother Ginger, Philip takes Clara to the palace, where she meets the three Regents of the other three Realms: the Land of Flowers, the Land of Snowflakes, and the Land of Sweets. These three Regents: Sugarplum, Hawthorne, and Shiver, are extremely happy to see Clara, though upset to hear of Marie's passing. You see, Marie was queen of the land, thus making Clara a princess. Showing her the other three Realms, the Regents, particularly Sugarplum, tell her the story of the Four Realms: Marie used a machine that brings toys to life to bring everyone in this magical land to life, and that Mother Ginger was once a Regent, presiding over the Land of Amusements, which is now called the Fourth Realm. According to Sugarplum, the only way to stop Mother Ginger is the machine that Marie used to bring everyone to life, but it requires a key: the same key that unlocks Clara's silver egg. Now, I'm going to stop here, because I don't want to ruin the rest of the surprises of what is a really decent movie.

            The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is, from all accounts, a decent movie. While the plot and concept certainly feel like things we've seen before in films like The Chronicles of Narnia and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, what elevates this movie for me is the cast. Mackenzie Foy is terrific as Clara, and I really enjoyed Jayden Fowara-Knight as Philip. Helen Mirren was excellent as Mother Ginger, and I enjoyed both Richard E. Grant and Eugenio Derbez as Shiver and Hawthorne. Admittedly, Keira Knightley was a bit over the top with her nasally voice as Sugarplum, but she was enjoyable in the part. But my favorite performance in this movie is Morgan Freeman as Drosselmeyer. I mean, come on. It's Morgan Freeman. Anyway, the film is definitely a visual feast, and there's so much to take in with the design of the world. Overall, directors Lasse Hallstrom and Joe Johnston did a terrific job making a film based on The Nutcracker, which while many have tried, few have succeeded. I'm giving The Nutcracker and the Four Realms a rating of 4.25/5. This is Chuck signing off. Tomorrow, we'll be diving back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Iron Man 3 as 12 Reviews of Christmas continues.