ALARIS' REVIEWS

1st October 2010
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (2010)

I have to say, the trailer looked terrible. Overacting owls in armour, ranting in broad Aussie accents. It looked like a movie pitch gone wrong.

However, I’m pleased to say the actual film is a completely different experience. Well, maybe not completely – there are still owls in armour doing a bit of overacting - but it’s a lot cooler in the film.

Based on a series of children’s fantasy books by Kathryn Lasky (Guardians of Ga’Hoole), the movie follows Soren, a young barn owl who is abducted from his family by sinister forces. Lost and frightened, with his head full of childhood legends, Soren must thwart his captors and find a way home.

The plot is a conventional adventure: the reluctant hero, his loyal companions, rivalries, betrayals, and trial by fire. The story is predictable, but it’s executed well. The world is also refreshingly devoid of any references to human existence, and most of the characters are charmingly recognisable Australian fauna.

Legend of the Guardians is well paced, with an easy blend of character moments, dramatic confrontations, and appropriate montages. While the characters aren’t deeply developed, they’re empathetic, believable, and likeable. And very fluffy.

The voice cast is an impressive line up of Australian actors, including Geoffrey Rush as mentor Ezylryb, and Hugo Weaving in a sneeze-and-you’ll-miss-it role. Helen Mirren is excellent as antagonist, Nyra – when your movie poster is labelled ‘Evil Queen’, you’re entitled to chew a little scenery. Unfortunately, the broader Aussie accents are a little hard to understand, and the more articulate tones of Mirren and Rush are definitely more user friendly.

When I originally heard that Legend of the Guardians was directed by Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead, 2004; 300, 2006) I wasn’t overly enthused. Snyder doesn’t do sweet or cerebral, and I didn’t really want to watch owls eviscerating each other over gritty one liners. Fortunately, Legend of the Guardians is more like an owl documentary meets Narnia (the books, not the movies). However, there’s certainly a touch of 300 in the action scenes. Owls with swords look ludicrous in the trailer, but in the movie, it works.

Animal Logic (the animation studio behind Happy Feet, 2006) is no Pixar when it comes to powerful storytelling, but they’re at the forefront of CG technology, and the animation in Legend of the Guardians is superb. The story is set in a slightly fantastic version of Australia, and the landscapes are atmospheric and lovely: from the crowded bushland to the monsoon seas. The owls’ faces are only slightly uncanny valley, and their attentively detailed feathers ooze advanced algorithms.

For bird spotters, Legend of the Guardians has an interesting array of owls, from tiny elf owls to great grey owls. For anyone who wants to know how an owl would build armour, this is a must see.

Legend of the Guardians doesn’t have the emotional power or sheer imagination to become an instant classic, but it’s a welcome addition to the library of good children’s fantasy movies.

Verdict: An imaginative, entertaining fantasy film for kids. Enjoyable for adults if your expectations aren’t too high.

If you like owls, you’ll probably like Legend of the Guardians.

***

This review also appears in Issue One of Owlzine.