Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
Release Date:
September 24, 2010
Movie of the Day for Monday, May 25, 2009
See other Movies of the Day
On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 64/190 |
Max Braden |
I was surprised at how much Greek drama was in the story. The visuals are great, but also funny for the slow-motion excess. |
| 87/123 |
David Mumpower |
Given the exhorbitant price of an IMAX ticket, this offered the least bang for the buck of anything I saw in 2010. The brother character was utterly unbelievable. |
Owls are scary. Those big eyes, unblinking stare and erect owly posture. From the tops of trees and while ghosting along silent wings at night, owls sit in absolute judgment of all other animals. They’re sort of like tax auditors or DMV in that way.
But enough about the scariest of humans . . . let’s get back to those scariest of nature’s creatures. The new film from Warner Bros, Guardians of Ga’Hoole, is yet another attempt to find the equivalent of Box Office Lightning in a Bottle by adapting a popular series of children’s books into a theatrical film. Unlike the most notable misses of this genre (Eragon, The Golden Compass and the unequivocal bomb, The Seeker) Guardians of Ga’Hoole is not based in an epic fantasy world with fantastic creatures and inventive adventures. Instead, we get owls. Creepy, judgmental owls.
This particular film will focus on the happenings in the first three books of the 15-book series. Assuming that it doesn’t deviate too badly, viewers will get treated to a story in which Soren, a young barn owl, is kidnapped by owls of St. Aggie's – a fearful place in which cute little owlets are brainwashed into becoming soldiers (as if owls weren’t scary enough in the first place). Soren and his fellow escapees (it’s sorta sound like Prison Break a little bit, no?) hightail it (highfeather it?) to the island of Ga'Hoole, to assist a group of noble, wise owls dedicated to the cause of defeating the wicked rulers of St. Aggie's.
The film will be animated by Animal Logic, the same group responsible for the Oscar winning Happy Feet, and in a mind-boggling move, the film will be directed by Zack Snyder who’s better known for R-rated adaptations of graphic novels like 300 and Watchmen. Far be it for me to pigeonhole someone into a narrow cinematic stereotype when every person on earth has multiple layers to their personality . . . but still, as I’ve already expressed, owls are scary. I don’t need Mr. Snyder enhancing their fearsome appearance any further. (Jason Lee/BOP)
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