Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
Zack Snyder, director of Watchmen and 300, turns his highly-stylised attention to an adaptation of a series of children's novels about a group of heroic owls, Guardians of Ga'Hoole.
Soren (voiced by Jim Sturgess), a young barn owl, is kidnapped and taken to St. Aggie's, an orphanage where owlets are brainwashed into becoming soldiers for the Pure Ones – a gang of evil birds led by Nyra (Helen Mirren). He and his new friends escape to the island of Ga'Hoole, to assist its noble, wise owls who fight the good fight against his captors.
The largely antipodean cast includes two Kiwis – Sam Neill and Emily Barclay.
- Director:
- Zack Snyder ('Watchmen', '300', 'Dawn of the Dead')
- Writer:
- John OrloffJohn Collee
- Cast:
- Abbie CornishHugo WeavingGeoffrey RushHelen MirrenJim SturgessSam NeillRyan KwantenDavid WenhamMiriam MargolyesAnthony LaPagliaEmily Barclay
Reviews & comments
AWESOME
We watched this film in 2D and it was brilliant. The animation is second to none, best we have ever seen. There is plenty of action, drama, comedy and suspense to keep everyone on their toes. Those accents rock. Can't wait for the sequel. Recommend for older children, ages 10 years and up, as battle scenes may frighten the younger crowd.
Variety
pressThough visually stunning and blessed with immaculate 3D work, film is fatally bogged down by tackling an essentially ridiculous premise (gladiator-attired owls fight genocide) with stony solemnity, and by subsisting on a note of sustained menace and terror in what is ostensibly a children's film.
The New York Times
pressLegend of the Guardians may be a hoot, but for all its pyrotechnics, it fails to soar.
New York Daily News
pressThe script is merely serviceable and too reminiscent of similar fantasy tales. But kids will instantly relate to the gentle Soren, while watching wide-eyed as he faces each challenge.
Los Angeles Times
pressThere's a confusion that you can sense as well, with the film pulled between its light and dark sides just as the owls struggle with forces of good and evil. That hesitation keeps "Guardians" from reaching the deep, emotionally rich center that confers greatness in the animation world.
Hollywood Reporter
pressThis picture sometimes rivals "Avatar" in its spectacular landscapes and thrilling flying sequences, but of course it won't come anywhere near those megagrosses, and it's too scary to be wholeheartedly embraced by children.
Variety
pressThough visually stunning and blessed with immaculate 3D work, film is fatally bogged down by tackling an essentially ridiculous premise (gladiator-attired owls fight genocide) with stony solemnity, and by subsisting on a note of sustained menace and terror in what is ostensibly a children's film.
The New York Times
pressLegend of the Guardians may be a hoot, but for all its pyrotechnics, it fails to soar.
New York Daily News
pressThe script is merely serviceable and too reminiscent of similar fantasy tales. But kids will instantly relate to the gentle Soren, while watching wide-eyed as he faces each challenge.
Los Angeles Times
pressThere's a confusion that you can sense as well, with the film pulled between its light and dark sides just as the owls struggle with forces of good and evil. That hesitation keeps "Guardians" from reaching the deep, emotionally rich center that confers greatness in the animation world.
Hollywood Reporter
pressThis picture sometimes rivals "Avatar" in its spectacular landscapes and thrilling flying sequences, but of course it won't come anywhere near those megagrosses, and it's too scary to be wholeheartedly embraced by children.
AWESOME
We watched this film in 2D and it was brilliant. The animation is second to none, best we have ever seen. There is plenty of action, drama, comedy and suspense to keep everyone on their toes. Those accents rock. Can't wait for the sequel. Recommend for older children, ages 10 years and up, as battle scenes may frighten the younger crowd.
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