, 300
, and Watchmen
helming a children's film about owls. Then again, these are no normal owls. They aren't giving a hoot about polluting or chomping on Charms Blow Pops. These are the majestic Owls of Ga'Hoole, caught in a war between two opposing factions of good and evil. Don't be fooled by the Burger King tie-ins or kiddie ads. This is a dark, adult-oriented epic teeming with breathtaking visuals and arguably the best usage of 3-D you will see all year. This being Snyder's first attempt at animation, he gets off to a remarkable start. A number of familiar thematic elements converge to make a satisfying whole. Two young owls, Soren(voiced by Jim Sturgess) and his brother Kludd are raised learning the legend of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, an armored flock of warriors who fight for the side of good. Soren is a dreamer, hoping one day to meet the Guardians for himself. Kludd is his polar opposite, a hardened, jealous fatalist who only believes in doing what he needs to survive the day. The two brothers get careless one night while horsing around(or is it owling around?) and find themselves kidnapped by an evil cabal brainwashing innocents to become soldiers in a war. They're led by the evil Nyra(Helen Mirren) and mysterious Metalbeak(sounds like a Ducktales character), who casts their army of "Pure Ones" as the true rulers of the world. Kludd takes a liking to her "only the strong shall survive" manifesto and eagerly signs up, while Soren rebels and escapes to locate the guardians for help.
It goes without saying that Soren succeeds in his quest, aided in his journey by a clumsy warrior poet named Twilight, the eccentric Digger, and Gylfie, a young elf owl. The Guardians are everything Soran could've hoped for and more, but even they have internal strife. Some believe Soran's tale of impending doom, while others think he's full of owl poop. He falls under the tutelage of his childhood hero, Ezylryb, who trains him in the ways of the Force....er, to "use his gizzard".
Zack Snyder has always been a director of adrenaline fueled excess. He specializes in the art of the big battle, using clever slow motion techniques and tricks to wring every last muscular drop of action from every scene. It's a style you wouldn't think would lend itself to an adaptation of a children's book series, but you'd be wrong. Snyder's gift is put to perfect use, not only during the impressive battles but most spectacularly during the flying sequences. Never has an animated film captured the sheer majesty and power of flight the way this does. It's a different feeling than what How to Train Your Dragon offers. While that film gives you the visceral feeling of flight, Ga'Hoole is about the freedom and exhileration of creatures who are actually flying under their own power. They have to learn to ride the air currents, to deal with crashing rainstorms. It's a totally different experience, and one that is equally as satisfying.
One look and you can tell that the animation was provided by Animal Logic, the crew responisble for those cute little penguins in Happy Feet. The attention to detail is stunning, as feathered bodies wither under rainstorms and the searing wind. You won't find a more beautiful animated movie than this. The only problem is that after awhile it becomes hard to tell each owl from the other. As with many other animated features(the works of Robert Zemeckis come to mind), facial expressions have a hard time relaying the appropriate emotions. Far too often they appear to be staring blankly when the scene requires something completely different. It's a small problem. A bigger problem is the choice of music. Most of it is perfectly fine, except for an awful interlude by....Owl City. Oh, how clever. I've never heard of them before but they are apparently popular. I have no idea why. The one song they're featured on is so bad it could serve as the closing credits theme to Reading Rainbow.
Legend of the Guardians is based on the first three books in Kathryn Lasky's 15-novel series. That opens the door a lot more films if this one takes off. It's going to be a tough sell, I think. The box office viability doesn't have any impact on how good the film is, and those who take time out to see it will be treated to a powerful, epic adventure. Here's hoping Zack Snyder sticks around the animated arena for awhile longer.
