Well, I liked it!

I'm not doing an in depth review here, just a few observations.

I found it a highly imaginative treatment of the renowned classic where the Nutcracker along with the heroine and her friends battle the Nazi-like forces of evil led by the Rat King. It is no more frightening for children than Grimm's fairy tales or many other animated features such as Myazaki's Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke. I do see it as more suited for older children and adults. As always, parental guidance should be exercised.

Tchaikovsky's music is used in the score and several songs have lyrics set to his melodies. I did not find these memorable except for one titled "Relativity" sung by Nathan Lane's character who resembles Albert Einstein.

Many of the negative reviews and opinions might stem from the expectation that the film would follow the beloved traditional Nutcracker more closely than it does. The title, The Nutcracker:The Untold Story, should tell us we will be viewing a non-traditional version. By the way, this is the title on the DVD and the way it is listed at my local library and on Amazon. IMDb uses the alternate title, The Nutcracker in 3D, which may be misleading.

Two critics I respect and with whom I often agree, Leonard Maltin and Roger Ebert, have panned this film unmercifully and I've seen many scathing reviews online. I'm at a loss to understand this degree of negativity. I wouldn't call it a great film but believe it's certainly worth watching and deciding for yourself. Perhaps this is one of those which will eventually become a "cult classic".

In any event we should remember what the great Hitchcock used to say, "It's only a movie."





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