Legend of the Guardians – Legend of Ga’hoole (2010)

Directed by: Zack Snyder | 97 minutes | animation, adventure, fantasy | Original voice cast: Jim Sturgess, Ryan Kwanten, Hugo Weaving, Emilie de Ravin, Helen Mirren, Geoffrey Rush, Sam Neill, Abbie Cornish, David Wenham, Rachael Taylor, Richard Roxburgh, Miriam Margolyes, Jay Laga’aia, Emily Barclay, David Field

With his remake of the horror classic ‘Dawn of the Dead’ (2004), the spectacle ‘300′ (2006) and the comic film adaptation ‘Watchmen’ (2009), director Zack Snyder made an overwhelming entrance into Hollywood. His flamboyant and dynamic visual style, in which he does not shy away from the use of effects and slow motion, hit like a bomb. A lot of eyebrows were raised when it was announced that he – the man behind the merciless battle in ‘300′ – would be making an animated film of ‘The Legend of the Guardian’, Kathryn Lasky’s children’s book series in which owls (!) play a leading role. The critics can breathe a sigh of relief; Snyder certainly didn’t make it a childish movie. From a visual point of view, ‘Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole’ (2010) is not inferior to Snyder’s previous work. The fact that the film is in 3D also gives the spectacle extra cachet. But just like ‘300′ and especially ‘Watchmen’, his latest film unfortunately also lags a bit behind in the overwhelming visual beauty.

For the film, the first three books in Lasky’s fifteen-part series, about a owlet who becomes entangled in the battle between the noble Guardians and the evil Pure Ones, were put together and made into a one and a half hour story. The hero of the story, Soren (voiced by Jim Sturgess), is fascinated by the thrilling stories his father (Hugo Weaving) tells him about the Guardians, a mysterious group of owls capable of feats of heroism. Just as he and his brother Kludd (Ryan Kwanten) attempt to fly for the first time, the two owlets are kidnapped by the Pure Ones, who are recruiting new recruits for their evil army. In their headquarters, disobedient and weak owls are forced into slave labor. Soren soon realizes that something is wrong and flees. Kludd is left behind and is increasingly under the influence of the evil Metal Beak, who wants to control the entire owl world. When his younger sister Eglantine is also kidnapped, Soren sees only one way out: only the Guardians can stop Metal Beak. Will he be able to find them?

Let’s face it: John Orloff and Emil Stern’s script won’t win any awards. This lacks the originality that is so much needed in (animation) films these days to distinguish yourself. Bells regularly ring, because we’ve seen everything happen before: the jealous brother who chooses the wrong path, the eccentric mentor who takes the hero under his wing, et cetera. In addition, a lot was cut in the original story to make a film of one and a half hours. On the one hand, a pity, because that’s why many nice characters and storylines die – on the other hand, it was fortunately done efficiently. The lack of originality in the script is compensated for by the beautiful 3D animations, which here and there are reminiscent of ‘Avatar’ (2008) in which natural landscapes were also portrayed in a beautiful way. Sometimes you don’t even realize you’re watching animations, it’s all so lifelike. Not only the landscapes, also the owls are reproduced very faithfully, but they are nevertheless equipped with the necessary dose of expression. However, those talking heads cannot prevent that there is always a certain distance between the owls and the public. The voice cast is impressive, with star actors such as Helen Mirren, Geoffrey Rush, Sam Neill and Miriam Margoyles in the ranks in addition to the names already mentioned.

Of course, Snyder applies his beloved effects and techniques, so that the action scenes come out dynamic and lively. However, the question is whether it is all not too exciting for the young target group. The dark forests and headquarters of the Pure Ones are grim enough, but Snyder doesn’t shy away from allowing owls to get hurt in battle and thrash each other, donned in metal armor and sharpened claws. ‘Legend of the Guardians’ can therefore better be seen as a film for the older youth, from the age of twelve, because for younger children the lifelike images (and matching music) may seem just a bit too realistic. Although it is completely different from what we are used to from him, Snyder stays true to his tried and tested concept with ‘Legend of the Guardians’: spectacle predominates. And although the story is a bit disappointing and the emotional bond with the owls is a bit meager, the visual splendor and the excellent voice cast make up for it.