The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)

Director: Lasse Hallstrom, Joe Johnston
Stars: Mackenzie Foy, Keira Knightley, Morgan Freeman
Runtime: 99 minutes

Synopsis: While wandering around at a Christmas party, Clara finds herself transported to a magical world where an adventure awaits her.

• Performances: 5/10

Why? Keira Knightley, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Mackenzie Foy... "The Nutcracker" is filled with names any person with basic film knowledge with would instantly recognize. Yet nobody's performance was even close to the talent associated we've grown accustomed to when it comes to these stars. Mirren and Freeman are barely in the movie at all, Foy sleepwalks through the entire thing and was never able to give life to a character that desperately needs some, and Knightley was so over the top that I sort of enjoyed until I didn't. There were some comedic moments, intentional or not, that I found were effectively delivered but other than that, there's nothing much to add here. 

• Screenplay: 4/10

Why? I can't really say that I'm familiar with the ballet the movie is based on, and I'm going to compare it to it. However, I am going to compare with two movies I found very similar to it which are 2005's "The Chronicles of Narnia" and Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland". They all follow a teenager (or a group of them) transported to a sort of magical land where they have to fight an evil character of some sorts. And while I consider the two just mentioned movies to be guilty pleasures of mine (definitely not saying that they're good), the same cannot be told about "The Nutcracker", unfortunately. Other than the fact that the story felt recycled, I also didn't particularly find myself attached or caring about any character. The story had next to no development as well, and quite a bit of cheese and failed attempts at humor in it. 

• Special Effects: 6/10

Why? I was pleasantly surprised to see that the movie wasn't as CGI-filled as I was expecting it to be. The set designs were also actually kind of great. However, there were some computer generated shots I found to be really unconvincing and unpolished.

• Costumes/Makeup: 4/10

Why? Probably my biggest issue with the film, but one I sort of understand and respect from a filmmaking point of view. The costumes and makeup, in my opinion, were way overdone, cheap, and over the top, to the point where they looked ridiculous (sometimes less is better). But after I gave it some thought, I found it to be comparative to the costumes and makeup used in plays, which makes sense since the movie is based on a ballet. I don't know if those were the directors' intents, but thinking about it that way made me look at them in a slightly different light.

• Editing: 6/10

Why? As I mentioned earlier, the movie lacked development which could be due to scenes being cut out of the final product. But since there's obviously no way of knowing that for sure, I'll throw the blame on the screenplay. Other than that, I don't really have many issues with the way the movie was edited. There were some scenes that could've been edited out, as well as some weird jumps to other storylines, but it was generally smooth and well done.

• Cinematography: 6/10

Why? I wasn't expecting to come out of the movie blown away by its cinematography, and I certainly didn't, but I was also surprised by the amount of effort put into making the movie look as good as it did. The camera movement was actually pretty effective and truly was one of the highlights of the film.

• Score/Soundtrack: 4/10

Why? I may not be very familiar with the original story, but I certainly know and love its music. In fact, it was the main reason why I wanted to check out this movie. And boy was I disappointed. The film doesn't focus at all on what is one of the most iconic symphonies ever made and only features it in a few scenes. The score written specifically for the movie, which is also used in most of it, is boring and unoriginal. I was really let down by this aspect which could've been used in a much more valuable way.  

FINAL GRADE: 5/10

Note: This movie is obviously not aimed at my demographic, and children may enjoy it much, much more than I did. However, I am not a child and I, unfortunately, can't review it from a child's perspective.