THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS (2018) MOVIE NEWS & REVIEW

the nutcracker and the four realms (2018) movie

Genre              |   Fantasy

Classification   |   PG

Running time   |   99 minutes

Released         |   22 November 2018

cast

Keira Knightley ... Sugar Plum Fairy
Morgan Freeman ... Drosselmeyer
Mackenzie Foy ... Clara
Helen Mirren ... Mother Ginger
Matthew Macfadyen ...  Stahlbaum
Miranda Hart ... Dew Drop Fairy
Richard E. Grant ... Shiver

director

​Lasse Hallström
Joe Johnston ... (reshoots)

writer

E.T.A. Hoffmann ... (based on the story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" by)
 
Ashleigh Powell ... (screenplay and story)
Rob Menzer ... (Sculptor)

cinematographer

​Linus Sandgren

music

James Newton Howard

film editor

​Stuart Levy

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box office result

Worldwide               $? million

Australia                 $? million

North America        $? million

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the best dialogue

Mr. Stahlbaum: This time has been difficult for all of us, but when Christmas comes, we must do our best to enjoy it.

Drosselmeyer: [to his party guests] Ladies and gentlemen, my favorite part of Christmas. My favorite part of this evening. I present to you: your gifts!

Sugar Plum: [to Clara] The ballet tells the story of the Four Realms. How your mother discovered our world.

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THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS (2018) MOVIE IMAGES

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THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS (2018) STORY SYNOPSIS

​All Clara (Mackenzie Foy) wants is a key - a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift from her late mother. A golden thread, presented to her at godfather Drosselmeyer's (Morgan Freeman) annual holiday party, leads her to the coveted key, which promptly disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. It's there that Clara encounters a soldier named Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a gang of mice and the regents who preside over three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers and Land of Sweets. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), to retrieve Clara's key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world.

THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS (2018) MOVIE REVIEW

Reviewed by Mark Geraghty   |   Review date November 2018

Pop ​Movee Rating

THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS isn’t the best effort to come out of the Mouse House… It has all the right moving parts, but much like the oversized soldier automatons conjured for the movie’s climax, the film is a stiff, clunky affair relying as much upon people’s goodwill toward the Disney brand as their knowledge of the classic Russian ballet or the German children’s story upon which it is based...

Writer Ashleigh Powell has adapted the source material in such a way that Disney’s version of THE NUTCRACKER becomes an extension of the “Disney Princess” franchise developed in the early 2000s, but originated all the way back to the company’s very first feature-length animated movie, the classic 1939 SNOW WHITE.

Nowadays, the “Disney Princess” roster includes more recent characters, including Belle from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Ariel from THE LITTLE MERMAID and Merida from BRAVE. Guidelines exist for these characters to be considered for the franchise and there are only eleven officially designated “Princess” characters, however, Disney’s ever-expanding film catalogue has seen an increasing number of characters become “unofficial” members. Giselle from ENCHANTED, Anna & Elsa from FROZEN and Moana from the movie of the same name are now considered part of the expanded roster.

Clara, the lead character in THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS, played by Mackenzie Foy, is an interesting anomaly for the “Disney Princess” franchise, being the first non-animated character for consideration. To this point in time, all the entrants have appeared in an animated film that predates Disney’s decision to update a number of their much-loved classics into live-action versions. Emma Watson as Belle in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is the most recent example, but the upcoming ALADDIN sees Naomi Scott take on the role as Jasmine, another of the eleven “official” Princesses. This new version of THE NUTCRACKER is not based on a pre-existing Disney film, but is very much aimed at the “Disney Princess” audience.

Like many of the “Princess” characters before her, Clara Stahlbaum is something of a lost soul. She has a distant relationship with her father (Matthew Macfadyen), who is lost in his own despair, still grieving over the death of his wife. The film opens with the sad ritual of Mr. Stahlbaum handing out Christmas gifts that his wife had selected for her three children prior to her death.

When you think about it, it’s pretty grim stuff… “Here you go, here’s a present from your dead mother.” Fortunately, the late Marie Stahlbaum (Anna Madeley) selected her gifts with great care and Clara is the recipient of an jewelled egg and an accompanying note telling the young girl that the egg’s contents contains all she will ever need…

Under the pall of their loss, the Stahlbaum children reluctantly attend their godfather’s Christmas Eve ball. A completely wasted Morgan Freeman plays Drosselmeyer, the children’s godfather, who is an engineer by profession. Clara, keen to unlock the secret of her mother’s gift to her, questions him about how to unlock the egg. Drosselmeyer reveals to Clara that he made the egg for her mother when she was a young girl.

So begins the tale proper...

Drosselmeyer has crafted an elaborate string maze at the end of which are attached the presents for the children in attendance at the ball. However, something very different awaits Clara. Much like Alice and her trip to Wonderland, she ventures down a deep dark path, following her string,  emerging in a strange, alternate world. Before her, the key to unlock her mother’s egg.

As chance would have it, a mouse snatches the key, dashing off into the distance!

It’s at this point a Disney fantasy film would move into cinematic overdrive, dazzling the viewer with an array wonderful creations upon which their eyes can feast! THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS never gets to this point. Make no mistake, the production design is first rate, but the film’s other elements (characters, story, set pieces) never invite the viewer to connect with it in the same way that Bill Condon’s 2017 live-action BEAUTY AND THE BEAST did.

So, where does THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS go wrong?

The film’s directing credits provide a clue.

Swedish director Lars Hallstrom initially worked on the project, but was unavailable for reshoots. In itself, this is unusual. It suggests that Hallstrom was more of a “Director-for-hire” than the driving creative force for the film.

The always reliable Joe Johnston was brought into to oversee the reshoots.

Reshoots have become common place on big budget productions and, normally, are no longer regarded as a sign a film is creatively troubled. Studios include them as part of the production schedule, planning talent availability and budget allowances right up to the film’s release date.

What is notable about THE NUTCRACKER are the reports that Johnston worked on the project for over a month. To put this into context, the film’s principal photography lasted about 15 weeks. So, the combination of reshoots and additional photography required to complete an edit of the film was over one quarter of its original shooting schedule.

For a film that runs for 99 minutes, it means that Hallstrom got 70 odd minutes of usable material from a 15 week shoot. It certainly doesn’t sound like he was running a well-oiled machine. Given Johnston’s time spent on the film, the chances that there was even less footage available is entirely believable. Johnston is known for being an incredibly efficient filmmaker, especially in the area of directing live action where visual effects are to be inserted at a later date; thanks to his early career work with Lucasfilm.

The integration of the film’s extensive visual effects, both physical and digital, is where Johnston’s time on the film appears to have been focussed. Even with his involvement, many of the film’s set pieces lack scale and rely heavily on performer’s reactions to sell the impact of the action. It’s not what’s expected of a $130 million Disney production.

Johnston and Hallstrom, ultimately, share the film’s directing credit. This is perhaps the most telling sign that Hallstrom lost his way and was out of his depth bringing the film’s visuals to life.

Ultimately, THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS is an awkward film that feels like a pastiche of previous, better “Disney Princess” entries. All the elements are there, they just never coalesce into a meaningful, classic whole.

THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS (2018) USEFUL LINKS

​The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018) - IMDb
​The Nutcracker and the Four Realms - Wikipedia
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018) - Rotten Tomatoes

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