Oh man does this movie suck.
Disney's newest film The Nutcracker and the Four Realms follows a young girl by the name of Clara whose mother has recently passed away. On the night of Christmas Eve, Clara is given her mother's final gift: a metal egg-thing and a vague note describing its contents. Unfortunately for Clara, it can't be opened without a key. This sends Clara on a journey to retrieve the key, open the gift, and discover its meaning. This movie, which is based on a book adaption of the Nutcracker play, is complete ass for many reasons. Firstly, the acting is far too atrocious for a big-budget Disney film like this one. The dialogue is bad in the first place, but these actors somehow find a way to make it 10x more clunky and cringe-inducing. The only two good performances are from Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren. How in the world did Disney get them to be in this movie? They were probably presented with a big fat stack of cash for the 10 minutes they're actually in it for, but if I were them, I would've paid Disney not to make this movie. And, oh yeah! Elizabeth Swann is in this movie, guys, and she's wacko! I think she's finally feeling the effects of being lost on that island with Captain Jack for so long.
Another shit performance comes from the dude playing Clara's dad. I can't tell you the last time I've seen a more lifeless, going through the motions performance like this one. Yeah, I get that he just lost his wife, but seriously dude? Man-up! He easily takes home the award for biggest stiff in this one, and believe me the competition was fierce.
Another reason this movie blows is just the pure fact that the idea of it is dumb as hell. It's like The Chronicles of Narnia meets Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. Just let that sit for a minute.
Now listen, I'm sure there are some kids who will enjoy this movie; after all, it was made for them, but if you're an adult who likes this, you belong in the four realms. All in all, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is a poorly executed concept with a dull plot and characters. It's few (and I mean few) good moments are overshadowed by its lifeless story, failing to capture the magical elements of its source material and the Christmas season.
My Score: F