Attach Zac Snyder’s name to an animated story about talking owls and he instantly banishes thoughts of Wind in the Willows, Pixar or, gasp, Disney. Just what would the man who directed 300 and The Watchmen do to Kathryn Lasky’s series of kid’s books (fifteen in total)? For one thing, have zombie-owls searching for blue metal dropped by vampire bats in owl-vomit. So not Happy Feet then.
Soren (Jim Sturgess - Across The Universe) is a young owl who escapes an orphanage to join a rag-tag group of dissenters. Their gripe is with the evil Metal Beak (Joel Edgerton) who is using the home to build an army, and has coerced Soren’s brother Kludd (True Blood’s Ryan Kwanten) to join them, pitching siblings against one another. So far so Dickens, or Star Wars for that matter: dark lord, rebellion, mask, quest… Needing help, Soren seeks out the legendary Owls of Ga’Hoole, and in doing so proves to himself that these mythical heroes exist.
Like Avatar, Legends of the Guardians employs 3D-vision with genuine artistry, rather than some gimmicky afterthought. It allows the story to, pun intended, truly soar. Built by Australia’s Animal Logic (George Miller’s Happy Feet) Snyder has crafted an exquisite film, every frame glowing with precision and care. It’s disturbing how realistic his work is, or as realistic as talking owls can be. Feel the force as Soren battles to the dark side, with feathers.
Yet despite ones willingness to be drawn into this world, there’s no escaping the stale, been-here-before nature of the narrative (see above re Star Wars). As stock characters are pulled through inevitable plot junctures, Snyder doe little to create any sense of emotional urgency. He’s far too preoccupied with the (admittedly stunning) aesthetic for that. And while that may be enough to woo the box office and spawn a franchise, he’s not created a masterpiece.
// COLIN FRASER
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