Directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, probably known best for his work on Runaway Train and Tango & Cash to American audiences and Andrei Rublev (which he wrote with frequent collaborator Andrei Tartovsky) or Uncle Vanya for those who know their arthouse films, this film is certainly unique. A family film that was maybe a tad too dark for its own good, with rats dressed up in uniforms that, let's say are inspired by the fashions of Hugo Boss; electrocuted sharks, and did I forget to mention the Holocaust allegory? It's the rare children's film to have a complete 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. Yes, really. Is it really THAT bad?Well, to me, no way. Does it deserve to be ranked among the great kids movies of our times? Probably not. Would I show it to very little kids? Again, probably not. But for slightly older kids and definitely for adults, there's a lot to admire. It definitely helps to understand the plot isn't based on the ballet. It uses the music by Tchaikovsky as basis for the score and the musical numbers by Tim Rice, but the actual plot is more akin to the story The Nutcracker and The Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffmann. I haven't read the story yet so I can't say if it's accurate, but it helps to know in advance that it's not based on the plot of the ballet. In fact, if you get the chance, watch the Making Of after you're done watching the movie; it explains a lot of the more bizarre decisions that went into making the movie.
What makes the movie work for me? The acting's above-average, especially from Elle Fanning, John Turturro, Frances de la Tour and Richard E. Grant as Mary's father. The special effects are surprisingly pretty well-done, with the dance with the snowflakes in particular standing out as a fantastic scene (for a scene that took two years alone to make, it should look pretty darn good!) The technology of Rat World was very retro-futuristic, and I love that kind of stuff (the Rat Bikes and Ratcopter in particular stand out;) the musical score made pretty good use of the themes from The Nutcracker; the musical numbers, while I can see how they could bother people, I thought were pretty decent. The Nazi parable added a layer of menace to the rats, and it tied well into the time period of the 1920s the film is set in. Using the rats burning toys as a Holocaust parable I thought was particularly clever, showing the audience clearly the intention without actually killing anyone. Make of it what you will, though; I can understand how the Holocaust and Nazi imagery can throw people for a loop, considering it's in an adaptation of The Nutcracker, which is seen by the major populace as very bright and cheerful. If there's any complaints I have about the picture, it's this: The marketing on the movie was dreadful! What little trailers were done for the movie completely failed to sell the movie. Part of the problem was the title. What movie with "In 3D" in the title has ever done well financially? That, and the title was wrong too. Calling it JUST The Nutcracker (in 3D) was a particularly silly move; in fact, in the director's native Russia, the translated title is "The Nutcracker And The Rat King". Now, isn't that a far more fitting title? The film is, in terms of tone, very different from the Nutcracker ballet; and yet, the marketing said nothing about the fact that it was based on the Hoffman story; in fact, there wasn't even a credit in the movie to the Hoffmann story OR the Tchaikovsky ballet, not helping confusion. I think the movie is both neither Hoffmann and Tchaikovsky and both Hoffmann and Tchaikovsky; to me, the film is equal parts inspired by Hoffmann's story, the beautiful music of Tchaikovsky, with a personal touch by Konchalovsky with the 1920s setting and the Nazi/Holocaust themes. If you like your family films to be more akin to Return of Oz or Pinocchio, this film might be for you.
Oh, by the way, if you're going to say the movie's terrible, I have no problem with it, but please at least have the common courtesy to be constructive in your criticism. No need to be a jerk about it, is all I'm saying.
Language : English
Runtime : 1:48:02
Updated : 11/26/2013
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