[REVIEW] Rise of the Guardians

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Chris Pine plays a character whose origins have left him questioning the purpose for his existence.  He’s a good guy, but he’s also reckless and mischievous.  Then, when fate brings the world to the point of crisis, he rises to the occasion, discovers his true calling, and saves the world.

No, this character isn’t James T. Kirk from  2009’s Star Trek; it’s Jack Frost. The striking similarities between Pine’s Trek and Guardians roles, though, were too much for me to ignore.

Wrapped around the tried-but-true storyline, though, is a delightful movie filled with colorful characters.  My entire family sat down to watch Rise of the Guardians for a family movie night, and everyone — kids ages 7, 10, 12, and 14 and both parents — enjoyed it.  Common characters like Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin) and the Easter bunny (Hugh Jackman) were re-imagined in such a way that I was genuinely intrigued to get to know these characters over again. A tattooed, sword-wielding Santa with a Russian accent? This is something you have to see.

Guardians moved along at a good pace and spread plenty of humorous moments throughout to ease the tension created by the Boogeyman (Jude Law), the nemesis in this film.  Even my 7-year-old, who has trouble with some of the scarier scenes in films like Brave, was able to handle Guardians.  Yet, the story remained engaging for my older kids, too.  In all, directory Peter Ramsey achieved a well-balanced family film that everyone in my family liked well enough that we’ve already watched it multiple times and recommended it to family and friends.  That is no easy task to pull off.

If you haven’t seen it yet, grab a copy of Rise of the Guardians to watch on your next family movie night. You’ll be glad you did.

Worth it Or wasted? Worth it! 3.5 out of 5 stars

Ben Martin

Ben Martin is the CEO of THE FATHER LIFE. He lives with his wife and five children in the Rochester, NY, area.