Rise of the Guardians keep dreams alive

Rise of the Guardians keep dreams alive
By Francine Lim | Posted: 26 November 2012 0934 hrs
     
A super group with extraordinary powers, each a master in their own field of expertise, saving the world from great evil – sounds a lot like the Avengers. But this time, these superheroes do it just for the kids.

Sword-wielding, tattoo-sporting Santa Claus, 'North' (voiced by Alec Baldwin), is the Cossack-inspired leader of the Guardians and plays rival to Easter bunny, 'Bunnymund' (voiced by Hugh Jackman), who is literally the bunny-equivalent of his voice actor.

The other bubblier members of the Guardians are chirpy hummingbird-tooth fairy hybrid, Tooth (voiced by Isla Fisher), who collects memory-infused baby teeth only to return them when they're most in need and the eternally silent but thoughtfully "vocal" sandman, Sandy, who creates images above his head to communicate.

Yule better believe it, this group of unlikely heroes who only gather when the world is in trouble is anything but childish.

In this movie, with each guardian protecting a crucial aspect of the wonders of childhood, the plan is to thwart the diabolically evil boogeyman, Pitch, who resents having to live under beds and wants to bring back the dark ages.

As Pitch draws on the power of fear and tears down the Guardians' one source of power – children's beliefs in the guardians – help comes from the irresponsible 300-year-old prankster Jack Frost (voiced by Chris Pines) who is recruited by the mysterious Man in the Moon to help melt away the darkness.

Like most family-friendly movies, the film predictably follows the tried-and-tested formula where a wild youth has to come of age and must learn of his life's purpose.

The young man's metamorphosis is a thoroughly magical one, thanks in part to the delightfully detailed graphics surpassing animation studio DreamWorks' previous films "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted".

The 3D technology used complements "Rise of the Guardians", with beautifully crafted visuals and exhilarating action sequences that practically scream "roller coaster!" at every step of the way.

Children will be entertained with the clever use of light and shadows to depict the showdown between good and evil.

As for the older 'kids' - it's time you received your baby teeth back and revisit your childhood, as reinvented myths and fairy tales rarely come as lively and inspired as this.














- wong chee tat :)