The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)
Directed by Lasse Hallström
When Clara’s mother leaves her a mysterious gift, she embarks on a journey to four secret realms—where she discovers her greatest strength could change the world.
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What I’m sure was meant to be a fantastical adaptation of Marius Petipa’s classic ballet descends quickly into standard action/fantasy fare with the final product feeling like a clone of Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland , or more correctly it’s underwhelming sequel, and it’s all the more disappointing given that the opening moments of the film promise something quite whimsical.
He offers more than that and sends Clara on a journey – ala “Alice in Wonderland” (1951) and “The Wizard of Oz” (1939) – to The Four Realms, which begins in the Christmas Tree Forest.
Screenwriter Ashleigh Powell has crafted a story that is as rudimentary as they come, casually lifting ideas and scenarios from everything including C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicle of Narnia series, Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland , Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Victor Herbert’s 1903 operetta Babes in Toyland .
It’s my favorite wacky performance in a family movie since Helena Bonham Carter and her large CGI head in the Tim Burton rendition of Alice in Wonderland .
Rather than going into too much detail (which doesn’t deserve our attention), it’s sufficient to say that this movie is a pointless retelling of Alice in Wonderland .
However, rookie screenwriter Ashleigh Powell’s adaptation of both the E.T.A. Hoffmann short story and the Tchaikovsky ballet doesn’t do either of them justice, turning into an Alice in Wonderland -style adventure of self-discovery overloaded with oddball quirks and Rube Goldberg gadgetry.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
Directed by Andrew Adamson
Visuals Themes Plot
Even when Clara stares in wonder at the Realms for the first time, it's reminiscent of a similar scene in “The Chronicles of Narnia” that was done far better.
The whole experience is all over the place; I’d estimate that the 100-minute runtime was about 25 minutes boring exposition, 45 minutes of decent Narnia / Hugo -esque fantasy adventure, 10 minutes of ethereal dancing, and 20 minutes of pure nightmare fuel.
It’s a hodgepodge, a beloved holiday musical based on a musty book from 1816; a shoehorned ballet performance; fantasy elements that feel drawn from a variety of other sources, including The Chronicles of Narnia , The Wizard of Oz , Alice in Wonderland and Babes in Toyland .
Loosely based on the story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by E.T.A. Hoffmann and incorporating more than a dash of C.S. Lewis’ “Narnia” tales, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms seeks to fashion a fantasy-based fairy tale for modern audiences.
Instead, she’s chewed up and spit out by the film’s generic fantasy-adventure plot, which includes elements of the Harry Potter series, The Chronicles Of Narnia , and Alice In Wonderland and involves a war between the four realms that only Clara can solve.
For adults who’ve already seen The Chronicles of Narnia movies or Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland , however, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms feels more like a re-gifted Christmas present.
Screenwriter Ashleigh Powell has crafted a story that is as rudimentary as they come, casually lifting ideas and scenarios from everything including C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicle of Narnia series, Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland , Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Victor Herbert’s 1903 operetta Babes in Toyland .
As is, it feels at least two overly sober executives away from an accidental Return to Oz-style gonzo cult classic.
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is like the Return to Oz for a new generation, a lavish footnote destined to be revisited by a cult shocked by such strangeness given to children in deceptively sweet packaging.
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Armed with what 30 Rock referred to as a “sexy baby voice” and a mountain of pink candy floss hair, she turns in the kind of performance that is essentially her Colin Farrell in The Lobster , her Jude Law in Dom Hemingway , her Brad Pitt in Burn After Reading .
Unfortunately, the finished product feels more like something made by Johnston, whose resume includes a number of hollow but special effects-heavy productions (Jurassic Park 3 and Jumanji being examples).
Director Joe Johnston (Jumanji, The Rocketeer, Captain America: The First Avenger) was brought in to direct over thirty days worth of reshoots (which is a lot for any movie, despite reshoots being a common thing).
Fue el propio Hallström quien sugirió que el veterano en efectos especiales –cuya carrera inició con Star Wars en 1977)–, y realizador de filmes como Jumanji (1995) y Capitán América: El primer vengador (2011), compartiera en pantalla el reconocimiento como director, aunque nunca dirigieron simultáneamente.
But for reasons only known by those directly involved with the project, more than a month's worth of reshoots were ordered by the studio, and with Hallström unavailable due to "scheduling conflicts," director Joe Johnston (the man behind special-effects laden pics such as "Captain America: The First Avenger," "Jurassic Park III" and the original "Jumanji") was brought in, along with screenwriter Tom McCarthy to amend the original screenplay by Ashleigh Powell.
Director Lasse Hallström, known for warm-hearted, deeply sympathetic films like “My Life as a Dog,” “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” and “Cider House Rules” had to leave the film for another project, and it was finished by Joe Johnston, known for skill with special effects stories like “Honey I Shrunk the Kids,” “The Rocketeer,” and “Jumanji.”