Blu-ray Review: THE NUTCRACKER 3D - Visually Stunning Festive Film With Average Narrative

Christmas is quickly approaching now (less than 50 days now...where does the time go!?), so if you fancy getting into the festive spirit a little early, check out today’s Blu-ray and DVD release of The Nutcracker in 3D.

Christmas is quickly approaching now (less than 50 days now...where does the time go!?), so if you fancy getting into the festive spirit a little early, check out today€™s Blu-ray and DVD release of The Nutcracker in 3D. But check out our review here first... Nine-year-old Mary€™s (Elle Fanning) dull Viennese Christmas is suddenly filled with excitement and adventure following the arrival of her beloved Uncle Albert (Nathan Lane) and his gift of an enchanted nutcracker. On Christmas night, Mary€™s new friend, The Nutcracker (Charlie Rowe) or €˜NC€™ as he like to be known, comes to life and takes her on a wondrous journey into his magical world of fairies, sugarplums, and other Christmas toys which come to life. Mary soon realises that this fantastical kingdom is facing danger from the tyrannical rule of the evil Rat King (John Turturro) and his devious mother (Frances de la Tour). When NC is taken hostage, Mary and her newfound toy friends must uncover the secret of the Rat King to rescue NC and his Kingdom... For anybody familiar with Tchaikovsky€™s beautiful festive ballet, Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky€™s updated twist on the tale will probably fail to impress in comparison. However, there€™s still a certain amount of charm and magic remaining to make it a film with a small appeal. The best aspect is certainly the visual quality. Konchalovsky€™s direction is dreamlike and fluid for the most part, transporting viewers into the mystical world of NC€™s Kingdom. Originally released in 3D, the film is shot in way where the technique is generally used to add depth and texture to the images, rather than to throw things out at the audience. The art direction is full of fantasy and fairytale charm, with some beautifully constructed sets and impeccable turn of the century historical costumes. However, unfortunately this is the extent of the positive aspects of the film, as the narrative falls flat on its wooden face. The biggest disaster of the entire affair however, is the attempt to put lyrics to Tchaikovsky€™s melodies. Despite hiring superb lyricist Tim Rice (who€™s responsible for some of the most memorable modern film musicals, including Aladdin and The Lion King) the adapted songs lack any sense of gelling between the words and Tchaikovsky€™s music, whereas the original recordings simply seem out of place in comparison with the underlying repetitions of the ballet score. What this results in is a film that completely lacks any cohesion when it comes to the soundtrack. Whenever one of the adapted tracks begins audiences will cringe, whilst at the same time they€™ll find themselves confused by the jarring effect that the original songs induce. Essentially, The Nutcracker in 3D is nothing more than the surface glitz and gloss of Christmas decorations. Elle Fanning is a mix of precocious pre-teen pleasantries and innocent seasonal excitement, but she unfortunately falls short of the proficient mark. It wouldn€™t be completely untrue to note that she€™s probably more wooden than the Nutcracker in her performance, although these are probably slightly stronger words than necessary. Instead, it would be fairer to say that she gives a performance that is full of gusto but remains rather stilted and forced in places. Unfortunately, the same can€™t be said of Aaron Michael Drozin, who is frankly awful as Mary€™s brother Max. His delivery of dialogue is overly affected and his character is really not very likeable without his poor acting talent. Charlie Rowe as the human Prince fares better, giving another performance filled with gusto and enough charm to keep the audience on side. However, he too is less than solid, with a performance plagued with forced dialogue and stilted action. The adult cast are generally more talented, with some extremely over the top, but thoroughly engaging performances. Nathan Lane as Uncle Albert (strangely, through costume and his dialogue, it is alluded that he is actually Albert Einstein) is his usual theatrical and humorous self, giving a performance that fits perfectly with the tone of the fantasy and magic aspects of the narrative. Lane probably gives one of the best performances out of the entire cast but is unfortunately under-used. John Torturro is violently camp in the role of the Rat King, but he imbues the evil dictator with enough malice to make the character scary as well as simply unlikeable. In fact, at times it€™s hard to watch him because he€™s so convincing within the part that viewers will certainly feel unnerved. As a whole, the role stands testament to his abilities and versatility as an actor. Strong support comes from the likes of Richard E. Grant as Marry and Max€™s father (he€™s strict but remains warm and Grant gives a capable performance as a member of the Viennese elite), Yulia Vysotskaya (in solid double roles as the children€™s diva-esque mother and the kindly snow queen) and Frances de la Tour (also playing two roles well: one as the comical housekeeper and the other as the vulgar and despicable Rat Queen).

QUALITY

The visual quality is definitely this releases best feature, as the images are crystal clear from start to finish. There is barely a trace of grain, blemishing or any other form of distortion and certainly nothing that even begins to irritate or distract. Colours are rich and sumptuous, transporting audiences directly into the Christmas spirit at the heart of the narrative and divulging the exorbitant production costs ($90million in total €“ a veritable fortune for a British/Hungarian joint project!). A traditional festive palette of deep and velvety reds, earthy but vibrant greens and glittering metallic golds and silvers make up the bulk of the tones. Colours are luminous and impressive throughout and the cheerier palette contrasts greatly to the smoggy greys and inky blacks of the Rat King€™s Kingdom. Definition is sharp, meaning that fine details are perfectly apparent (something that makes the intricate detailing on the toys stand out in particular), but the more realistic nature of the imagery means that a certain mythical and fantastical element that€™s essential to the plot is actually lost. For the most part, the audio is solid but it fails to impress on quite the same level as the visuals. Dialogue is generally clean and clear and doesn€™t get swallowed up by the ambient or soundtrack levels. Music is obviously very important to the production and Tchaikovsky€™s expressive score is put to good use, sounding radiantly soft when required as well as deep and vigorous in more dramatic moments. As mentioned, the lyrics put to Tchaikovsky€™s wonderful music are absolutely dire and completely lower the tone of the film, whilst the original songs are nowhere near the same calibre of these compositions. However, despite being awful, both are unfortunately loud and very clear on this release.

EXTRAS

Viewers can expect to find no bonus material accompanying the film on this release. It€™s a real shame, as a comprehensive documentary or commentary that analysed and discussed the visuals (in particular) and the production challenges would have been far more rewarding than the film itself. Film: 2 out of 5 This updated and tweaked version of The Nutcracker would most likely have Tchaikovsky spinning in his grave like a sugarplum fairy! Losing the charm, mythical romanticism and breathtaking magic that is resplendent within any of the ballet performances danced to the composer€™s beautiful melodies, The Nutcracker in 3D is, unfortunately, highly disappointing. Visuals: 5 out of 5 Despite the narrative and performance based limitations, the film is a veritable Christmas feast for audiences€™ eyes... The quality of the print here is remarkable and doesn€™t disappoint. Free from grain, distortion and blemishing, the images are as crystal clear as the Snow Queen€™s attire! Audio: 4 out of 5 The audio is relatively proficient, with the majority of the dialogue clean and clear. Tchaikovsky€™s famous music sounds light and delicate or full and robust where it should be, but never overpowers the scenes. The only real problem is the original songs €“ simply an atrocity, despite being penned by the usually excellent Tim Rice... Extras: 0 out of 5 Criminally, there are no supplementary features on the release. Presentation: 3 out of 5 The front cover evokes the very magic and mysticism that is generally lacking within the films narrative, making it rather misleading. However, it does the job and sells the film effectively...but remember, like a book, don€™t judge a film by its front cover alone! Overall: 2.5 out of 5 The Nutcracker in 3D is not the family festive favourite it wants to be, but will probably entertain the kids well enough. Visually stunning, the film is not a total write-off, but there are certainly better festive films out there and definitely far stronger releases. The Nutcracker 3D is out now on Blu-ray.
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