Is it a Christmas film? It most assuredly is. Did I watch it in March? I most assuredly did. To be fair, when I watched it, it had ...

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms: More Visual Spectacle than Story.

Alexa Mintah

8 Comments

Is it a Christmas film? It most assuredly is. Did I watch it in March? I most assuredly did.

To be fair, when I watched it, it had actually just snowed where I live. So there were kind of Christmas vibes going on. Also, my library had just gotten it that week, I’d been waiting to see it since the first trailer came out months ago, and I just never got the chance to go see it in theaters. So was I going to wait until next Christmas to watch it? I most assuredly was not.

Overall, the movie did not disappoint. It was lovely to look at, sweet and entertaining, and I laughed at quite a few points. The thing that most got me in the trailer was just how beautiful the story looked; I knew the cinematography was going to be gorgeous and, especially lately, I've been into really detailed, really whimsical settings that just sweep you away into a whole new world. That was precisely what this was (the first few scenes in the Four Realms really reminded me of Narnia!), and the whole sequence in the Four Realms was just full of fantastical sets and scenes. There was always plenty to look at—some might say it was a little too much, but I thought the costumes and settings perfectly fit the people and the storyline.

Speaking of the storyline… that part I felt was a little lacking. It wasn't bad, just not particularly interesting. I was expecting something kind of exciting, with at least a few twists and turns and more than one solid action scene. But, excepting a single plot twist that launches the climax and a few moments of fighting during the climax, the story is pretty straightforward. It was enjoyable, definitely, but it wasn’t the adventure fantasy I was hoping for. To be fair, I’d never watched or read anything about the Nutcracker before, so my expectations were based entirely on the trailers and may have been slightly off as a result.

A few other things I wanted to mention: Clara was brilliant! She wasn’t one of those heroines who was forced into the role of being great at everything, but she was very smart, she was very observant, and she was very brave, which allowed her to be precisely the leader that the land needed. She was thoughtful and analytical, good at coming up with plans and ideas; really, she was just very clever and I love clever characters (as my bio mentions 😉 ). Plus, even though she wasn’t forced into the role of being great at everything, once it did come down to that fight scene, she gave it her all! She was clueless at combat—I could see it on her face—but she still managed to take a few of the baddies down, because she was brave, she was brilliant, and she was willing to give it her all and work with what she had! She was just different than a lot of heroines I’d seen onscreen recently, and I really liked that about her.

All-in all, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms was a really fun, really pretty movie. Not a brilliant story, but entertaining and definitely worth the watch.

3.5 stars out of 5

Content: two or three minor curse words if memory serves

What’s been on your watchlist as of late? I’m kind of interested in watching A-X-L; is that one any good? Can’t wait to hear from you all, and I’ll see you in the comment section!

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